Covert Warfare
by Avaya
Summary: Five years after realizing Marcus' true intentions, Baird is enjoying his secret although long-distance relationship with him. That is, until warning signs tell him that things are not what they seem. *This is a sequel to Mind Games and is Adult Rated.
1. Prologue: Intense Passion

**Hello! My name's Avaya and I'm here with a sequel to the Gears of War Fanfic that I made previously: Mind Games. I've thought about doing this for awhile and I'm glad to be doing it. I love this couple.  
**

**A few nuances before you read (for precautionary measures):**

**1) I don't own Marcus Fenix, Damon Baird, any of the other Gears characters or anything affiliated to the Gears of War franchise...except memorabilia, books, and games that I've bought.**

**2) There are explicit sex scenes throughout this Fanfiction. If it's something that you're not into and/or you're REALLY young, then the following fictional account is not for you.**

**3) There is inflammatory language used throughout. If you've played the games/read the books, you should know this by now. My favorite quote that sums this up perfectly is when Marcus Fenix tells Benjamin Carmine in GoW2 to "Cut the _sir_ shit, kid. We're not that polite around here"...Love it.**

**That's all I have to say for now. Please enjoy! ^_^**

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**~*~*~Prologue: Intense Passion~*~*~  
**

_**Month of Bloom: 20 A. E., Island of Azura**  
_  
For what seemed like the hundredth time, the eerily calm voice spoke to the Gears within the Alcanthus Hotel. The faux soothing female voice nearly whispered for them to be wary of the fact that they would be introduced to unexpected arrivals, but they should all resume duties. It edged on Damon Baird's nerves, but he was also glad to hear it. It made him don his ammo belt in a more hurried fashion.

He grabbed his Gnasher shotgun that he kept in his closet and headed out of his room, throwing it over his shoulder. He was nearly running down the hall among the mass of people going about their daily routines. They were occasionally glancing up at the intercom to listen to a new tidbit of information about the odd situation. It was almost as if the people had forgotten the seventeen year war that brought human civilization to its knees, evident by their careless faces.

Human arrogance could truly be disgusting. Baird knew this...since he was arrogant himself. But he had become less of that due to a number of factors. And he was heading towards one of them now.

He stopped before a large floor to ceiling window, peering down towards the direction of the beach. He could see a number of Gears already formed on the sands, awaiting the uninvited guests. He squinted his eyes. The visitors seemed to be a few klicks off shore.

Armed Stranded had been spotted heading towards Azura on large trawlers. Since most of the people residing on Azura now had little to no measures to protect themselves—idiotic, in Baird's opinion—Chairman Hoffman had to be alerted to the situation so that he could send out some troops to protect the island.

Baird continued on until he reached the front doors of the Hotel where a large group of people had amassed. It gave a perfect view of the beach and the possibly bloody confrontation that would ensue. He pushed himself through the crowd to reach the doors, a few heads turning and catching his Gnasher slung on his shoulder while others backed away.

That's right. Although they were all Gears, they knew that he had been in the thick of the Locust fight. He needed to be down there with his comrades.

"Baird!" He stopped, turning towards the voice. He saw that it belonged to Levi, a recruit to the COG that he had been forced to take under his wing. Baird had objected at first, making excuses to alert Chairman Hoffman that he didn't have time to teach a green recruit the ropes when he was focused on the Maelstrom. But, after finding out that Levi was adept at engineering, he realized that it would benefit Sera if _someone_ wasn't stupid. He changed his mind and decided to teach the prodigy what he knew since, Baird thought grudgingly, he wasn't going to live forever.

_And I won't have anyone to teach really. _He had thought.

Now, he put a slight scowl on his face. "What is it, Rook?"

"Uh...Sir," Levi said approaching him as the crowd of people looked on, a bit embarrassed at his outburst. "We were told to stay within the building. What you're doing would be a direct violation of the Chairman's orders."

Baird smirked, looking down at the sun-tanned blonde in front of him, his green eyes seeming to fill with worry at his mentor. Obviously the recruit had no idea about his affiliation with Kilo Squad...or with former Colonel Hoffman.

"Listen, kid." he said, pushing open the door and heading out. "Being a Gear isn't always about following rules." The door slammed shut behind him before he could hear Levi's protest.

Levi struck Baird as a man that was in the same place that he had _once_ been: fiercely loyal to the COG, following direct orders without a second thought, believing the sweet lies of propaganda that was pumped into him ever since his first day as a recruit.

Then Reality struck him in the cruelest of ways. Officers decided to believe in the Octus Canon, the constitution of the COG, when it benefited them. The COG was riddled with these hypocritical selfish uncaring bastards-especially at Halvo Bay-and a selfish uncaring bastard Baird became.

He just hoped that Levi-he had never bothered to remember his last name-wouldn't face the grim Reality that he had to. Sometimes, it was better if people lived in delusion.

A warm breeze greeted him as he began to make his way slowly down towards the beach, appreciating that every route on the island was scenic although the winding paths annoyed him further. He hoped that the trek would slow his beating heart.

It wasn't as if he was afraid of the excitement that gunmen usually brought or the fact that he could be reprimanded for disobeying orders. It was something else entirely...

Any sensible Chairman in a world crisis such as this would only send out their best troops to deal with unwanted and possibly—in truth, more likely—hostile visitors. The best at Hoffman's disposal would be Delta Squad. And within Delta Squad was his special person—

"Huh. I thought all of you were told to stay inside the Hotel and resume duties."

Baird stopped, his body filling with heat as he turned towards the voice. And there he was, a factor that made Baird less arrogant and a better man sometimes.

Marcus Fenix was leaning against a tree along the path Baird had just trodden, peering down at him. He was dressed down, in his dirty gray muscle-tee and camouflage fatigues. His muscles were well-defined by his wife-beater which always made Baird feel inadequate in his light brown one. The sight of the COG tag made Baird forget about it though. He had to restrain himself from touching the one he wore with his fingers like he did a thousand times a day. It was the only piece of Marcus that he had with him when the man wasn't beside him.

He noticed that there was a slight frown on Marcus' face, but his eyes were light. He was in a good mood.

"And work? No thanks. I'd rather _not_ stay in that prison." He smirked.

His joke was greeted with an even deeper frown from Marcus. Baird realized that his metaphor linking Alcanthus to a prison was one that would, undoubtedly, not go over well with a former inmate of Sera's most notorious one.

"Sorry." Marcus grunted as Baird scolded himself for putting his foot in his mouth once again. He watched Marcus begin to take a keen interest in his Lancer as Baird made his way up the path towards him. "What are you doing here?"

His body froze as his head slowly lifted in order for his eyes to carefully study Baird. "Don't you already know?" he said quietly.

It took Baird a few moments to realize the true intent of his words. He held back a large smile although some of it slipped through.

"So, the dipshit actually has a sense of humor in uniform." Baird sneered, but lightly. "It could use _a lot_ of work though." He added, rolling his head away from him in a conceited manner.

"And _you _ would be the one that could help me." Marcus continued, in his slightly sarcastic deep tone that he knew Baird enjoyed. He didn't think that Marcus had much of a sense of humor until he had spent some time with him. He found that Marcus' humor was subtle and had plenty of different meanings if one knew where to look.

"If you wanted to be hated by plenty of people for being an annoying arrogant prick, then yes." He leaned against the tree next to Marcus, slightly touching him.

It warmed his heart to see, out of the corners of his eyes, a grin pulling at the edges of Marcus' lips. "You're not the _prick_, Baird." he whispered.

It took even longer for Baird to get it. He let out a small laugh. "Yeah. You're right. I'm _not _ the prick...since I'm not doing the pricking. I guess that would be you."

His eyes then widened as he pushed himself off from the tree and stood to face Marcus, a scowl on his face. "Hey! So, what? You're just going to _let _me say that I'm annoying and arrogant?!"

"Isn't that a given?" His eyes shown with the pure love that Baird would always see from him when they were making-love.

Baird swallowed hard. There was nothing more he wanted to do than be engulfed in Marcus' arms, but he could see that the Sergeant was present. The man wouldn't be able to relax with Baird until his duty was done.

...But why was he _looking _at him like that? It made him damn near irresistible. Without having to do anything but _look_ at Baird a certain way, Marcus could reduce him to mush and break through his defenses with no effort at all. And with weakened defenses, Baird became impulsive...

His drunken lustful thoughts were sobered by him remembering that they could easily be seen. He forced himself to settle down, pushing himself further away from the tree so that he wouldn't have to inhale anymore of Marcus' pheromones that were making him crazy...even if it was just sweat.

To hide the fact that he was blushing and slowly losing control, Baird jeered at the older man, slightly tilting his head up to give off an air of arrogance. It was unclear if Marcus saw through it though. "No, it's not." He tried to sound confident, but it seemed a bit weak to him. He rushed on before his lover could comment. "Anyway, everyone else is on the shore. But you're up here."

Marcus' eyes held his for a moment before he let out in a rough grunt, "I needed better visibility." He then turned his back on him, taking a few steps to focus on a flower that was growing near the root of the tree.

A sharp pain began to stab at Baird's heart. _What a fucking dick. _Baird thought angrily. _His hairy ass is up here to do his fucking _**job.** _I bet if it was Anya, he'd go see her._ At the thought of the woman, Baird's eyes narrowed into daggers as he glowered at Marcus, who had now knelt beside the flower.

He waited a few moments to see if Marcus was going to say anything else, and when he didn't, his head began to pound with fury. What was so interesting about that goddamn flower? Baird knew that Marcus' mom was a biologist and had taken him on unannounced trips to the Hollow, but he was damn sure that Marcus hadn't become immobilized due to a clear memory of his mother. The plant didn't even _grow_ in the Mainland.

_It _**has** _to be Anya. _He thought. _That son of a bitch is messing around with her__!_

Baird took a few steps towards him, prepared to "accidentally" step on the flower when he noticed Marcus' reddened ears. They only turned a rosy color when he blushed...and Marcus only blushed during emotional situations that he felt a bit uncomfortable in. He could also see how tense his body was which made a small smile drift across Baird's lips and cool his anger. The dissipating anger allowed Baird to realize what Marcus truly meant and to decipher the situation clearly.

The noble ever-so-moral Sergeant just lied to him, that much was clear. For him to be so close to Alcanthus, at a height on the island where visibility would certainly be disadvantageous (since the man held no binoculars to truly _see_ from such a height) didn't make sense. It also wasn't rational for him to behave in such a manner when they were talking about a matter of simple business. Even if he had come to Alcanthus to see Anya, he wouldn't ever be come flustered by it.

No. It was clear that Marcus was there for only one reason and it made Baird's heart swell with love.

He said nothing as Marcus slowly stood up, eyes still on the flower. Waiting a few moments to ensure that Marcus' attention was solely on the orange-red fauna, Baird walked past him, purposely knocking his shoulder into him while stopping a few feet ahead.

"Yeah. Whatever." He scowled back at him, putting his hands on his hips. "I'm going down there just because I haven't seen any action in awhile. Or Cole." The last words slipped from his mouth as he watched Marcus catch up to him, having slung his gun over his shoulder.

"Cole's not here." Marcus growled softly. Baird opened his mouth to respond, but his words were immediately lost.

Staring into Marcus' eyes, Baird realized that it was moments like this that he wouldn't mind if _anyone _found out the truth about them. Raw emotion was evident in Marcus' ice blues, a rare moment that only seemed to happen with people he was very close to. Baird became lost in the depths of the extreme anguish and deep hurt that he saw in them...but also the hope and strength. What truly ensnared him was the heavily-laden amorous affection that was spilling from them.

And it was only reserved for Baird.

He could also see the resolve of the Sergeant slipping away and his lover was slowly overtaking the man in front of him. Baird breathed through his nose as Marcus neared him, closing any space the two had between them, their chests touching.

Baird realized, as he stared into the windows of his amour's soul, that he wouldn't be able to get away from his tantalizing scent this time. Already his hands were moving as if they had a mind of their own, grabbing either strap of Marcus' wife-beater and pulling him a bit closer to him. Marcus' hands rested on his hips.

Their faces neared. Their noses touched. Baird's eyes fluttered close for a few moments as his body seemed to heat up with desire. Marcus' hands had drifted beneath his shirt somehow and everywhere his fingertips touched singed Baird's body with pleasure. They finally found his nipples, squeezing and pulling them gently, as warm air breathed across Baird' exposed stomach. Baird let a soft moan escape from his lips.

It was like a lost person in the midst of a desert not having a drop of water to quench their thirst: he _needed_ this. They both had been starved of each other for far too long. _And_, Baird thought as he slipped his arms around Marcus' shoulders while Marcus brought his face even closer to his. _Nothing's going to stop me from having him..._

A loud chorus of voices coming from down the beach made them both jolt, awakening them from what seemed like a druggy haze. Baird could see a slight confusion and a bit of unease in Marcus' eyes.

Baird pulled his arms from around Marcus, his skin paling and his paranoia hypersensitive. Had they just been seen?

Marcus' hands had withdrawn from his body by this time and he had resettled into the mode of the Sergeant again, but his face was sullen. He turned away from Baird who, after assuring himself that no one had noticed them (they were out of view of the Alcanthus and were a ways away from the beach) was once more flaming like a horny teenager.

"We...need to go." He whispered. His tone made it obvious that he was upset...but Baird didn't know why. He didn't press the issue though. It would only make Marcus retreat further into the shell that he hid his true emotions behind.

They both began to walk down to the beach together, close enough that they occasionally bumped into each other, but avoiding each other's eyes. It was awkward, the banter between them. They had to be careful of how they spoke to one another in uniform and the way that they touched, but it was worth it just to be together.

Yet what had just happened had _never_ happened before...not even with Anya. Baird knew that he had momentary lapses of sanity when Marcus was around and his aura was a bit too strong that it overpowered him, but Marcus was always a stoic shell in these situations. He would recognize Baird's heated state and make him aware that they were not alone. And that the man should stop acting like a bitch in heat.

So what had changed?

"When are you going back?" Baird whispered as they neared the bottom of the path. He needed to break the monotony of silence, the thoughts plaguing him now weren't pleasant and he disliked when Marcus brooded to himself for long. He'd just lock-away whatever he was thinking into the deepest recesses of his memory and never speak of them again.

Marcus grunted, expressing to Baird that he had no desire to make idle chatter. It made him flinch a little. "There's more of us than them. I'd say we wouldn't stay the night."

A frown threatened to cover Baird's face. It was the first time Marcus had been to Azura since the end of the Locust War. He wanted to be able to have some time with him alone while he was here. And after four months, he felt that he was owed at least _one_ night with his man. He shook his head slightly.

It was a selfish wish though. How could he ask his lover to make-love to him on the very island his father was killed?

Baird watched Marcus closely in his peripherals to see if he was showing any sign of distress about the close proximity of his Father's grave and him. It was a failed attempt: the man looked as if he was extremely livid. It didn't mean that Marcus didn't realize it though. He was an expert at hiding his thoughts and feelings from others.

"I wonder what they want." he muttered as they approached the group of Gears waiting for the trawlers on the beach. Baird knew that having Marcus focus on the task ahead of them would pull him from his unsavory mood.

It worked flawlessly. "Sure as hell isn't a friendly visit." Marcus answered him, pulling his Lancer from his shoulder and holding it with both hands once more, eyes on the approaching ships.

"Gee, thanks for stating the obvious." Baird sarcastically stated in a light tone as he settled his goggles onto his eyes. With some of the leftover technology on Azura, Baird was able to enhance his goggles to become binoculars as well as have night vision.

Shouldering his Gnasher off his shoulder and grabbing it by the strap, he sighted his goggles onto the trawler that would reach land first. His eyes slightly widened as he took a few steps forward to ensure that what he was seeing was correct.

"What." Marcus was next to him, closer than he usually was in public, especially for common inquiries. Baird lifted his goggles to his head, turning to face him, trying hard to settle his pacing heart at the fact that the two of them literally had no personal space. He was sure Marcus hadn't noticed, though, since his eyes were trained on the ships.

"It's...the Stranded that tried to cut a deal with Michaelson after Vectes. Remember? You talked to him when Dom and you found the abandoned ship? And he helped us defend Vectes?"

Baird watched a sad look pass fleetingly in Marcus' eyes at the mention of Dom as he stepped away from him, suddenly aware that they were too close. "Lyle Ollivar." he stated, remembering.

"Right. I was never good with names of people I didn't care about." He snorted. "But what is he doing here?"

"Michaelson never took the deal. Maybe the COG might be overrunning his territory. Maybe he wants to cut another deal or is looking for Imulsion. Again."

He caught his lover's eyes. "So you think that he's here to warn, ask politely, or to—what, try and take over?"

Marcus closed his eyes for a moment. "We'll see. But the Chairman needs to know." At that, he made his way into the group with no trouble. As always, people seemed to part a way for the Hero without him having to shoulder his way through. Baird watched him, waiting for him to disappear into the mass of Gears so that they could close the gap.

He wasn't even supposed to be here on the beach with them. He was supposed to be in the safety and comfort of the Hotel since his skills were necessary. It made him feel unworthy to be among the men and women that he now stood behind, and made them seem like expendable pawns. So staying behind while the Hero played his role again seemed like the perfect spot for him.

He felt good just being among them. He didn't need or want anymore than that since times had certainly changed. As much as he was aching to get back into the fight with his comrades, he felt that, somehow, the bond of camraderie had been lost between him and them. He needed to find it again...

Baird's eyes widened as he watched Marcus stop in the middle of the group as if he'd forgotten something, then turn and stare back at him. He held his gaze for a few seconds before he slightly tilted his head in the direction that he was heading.

Baird realized that Marcus wanted him to follow him...and that made his cheeks flame more fiercely.

_It's hot...so no one will know the difference._

His heart was beating intensely as he made his way towards him. Every step felt as if his foot was made of lead, the trek seeming to take an eternity. Marcus' eyes held a type of softness as Baird neared him, only for a few fleeting seconds though, before the emotionless Sergeant took over.

It took all of Baird's strength to hold back and not plant a kiss on his firm lips.

Both made their way to the head of the group and to Chairman Hoffman, who was in deep conversation with someone on the communications network, Anya Stroud right beside him.

_Why the fuck does she have to be here?_ Baird thought irritably, unconsciously sticking a bit closer to Marcus.

"Hoffman out." He said, catching sight of Marcus and Baird. "Fenix. Where the hell have you been? And Baird, why the _hell_ are you here?"

Marcus responded, unblinking. "I needed a better vantage point to gauge the severity of the situation—"

"—And _I'm_ not going to sit on my ass when there could be a possible situation." Baird snapped.

"They'll be here within the hour so we'll know _if_ there's a situation." Hoffman said, turning to face the open waters. "I just wish I knew why they're here."

"Maybe we can help." Marcus responded. "Lyle Ollivar's on board the first trawler."

Hoffman turned to Marcus in surprise. "Lyle Ollivar? The one who helped defend Vectes? How do you know?"

"_I_ can answer that." Baird tapped the goggles on his head. "I saw him through these."

"A new fancy gizmo?"

Baird scrunched up his nose. He hated how people seemed to downplay or show a severe disinterest in his new mechanical creations. It was a blow to the ego.

"No. It's not _new_. It's _enhanced_. Anyway, I'm one hundred percent sure Ollivar's the one leading them. But why would be anyone's guess."

"We'll know within the hour, won't we?" Hoffman said, walking past them and calling out to the men. "I'm sure this won't be solved by nightfall." Anya gave both of them warm smiles before following after him.

Baird tore his eyes from Hoffman to realize that Marcus was staring at him. Smirking, he quietly said, "Well, looks like you're spending the night."

* * *

Baird's heart was pounding, his palms were hot, and his blush hadn't gone away with the setting sun. If anyone saw him, it would be obvious that he was restraining his excitement. Luckily, there was no one to see this, except the man behind him. If Baird knew that they wouldn't be caught, he would have ripped off Marcus' clothes and allowed him to take him in the hallway.

Lyle Ollivar and his group of men hadn't landed at all. They had changed their course. Hoffman was skeptical and wanted a number of watches to be posted about the island just in case if the men decided to return for an unexpected nightly visit.

Marcus' watch—which had consisted of Baird, Clayton Carmine, and Anya—had just finished. Now the two were able to be alone.

Baird had barely gotten the door to his room open and entered when he was spun around to be greeted with a hard kiss. He opened his mouth to feel Marcus invade his. He realized that freedom hadn't _ever_ tasted so good as the two of them hungrily fondled each other's tongues.

His daily cocky facade that he put up every day fell away and his true vulnerable self showed. He could see the same happening to Marcus, the emotionally-wrecked man being revealed instead of the cold golem that felt nothing. This turned Baird on even more as he pushed the bigger man against the door so that it would close.

"Don't forget to lock the door." Baird breathed out and Marcus bit his bottom lip in response, sending intense shock waves rippled through Baird's body. It was going to be a rough night.

They both fumbled with each other's ammo belts and zippers, letting their Lancers slide to the ground. Baird broke the kiss to take a few breaths, hastily stripping Marcus of his wife-beater as Marcus did the same to his shirt.

Marcus placed his mouth over Baird's again, then moved to his neck, gently biting and sucking. Baird tried to keep his moans quiet as he gently tugged on Marcus' hair, letting Marcus push his pants and boxers past his round ass as the older man led them both to the bed.

Baird reached into Marcus' pants, pulling out his hot cock and stroking it as he slowly lied down, pulling the pillows on his bed underneath him. He watched his lover hover over him, sliding Baird's trousers and underwear completely off as Marcus licked and teased his nipples. He then pulled himself off of Baird, stripping himself of his clothing as Baird spread his legs wide, pushing himself further upon the bed as an indicator for Marcus for follow him.

There was no time to converse, no time to wonder if they would be heard. The fact that Baird was finally going to be able to have Marcus in his bed was a fantasy that he had wanted to be fulfilled. It would only be for a few hours, true, but that's all they needed.

Baird watched as Marcus got onto the bed and laid just below him, eyes never leaving his. He slowly spread his cheeks apart, revealing Baird's hairy pink hole clenching and relaxing. Baird let his eyes drift close as he felt Marcus' tongue begin to caress it lovingly.

He loved how Marcus teased his ass.

His tongue licked over his entrance ever so tenderly. He dragged swiftly across his hole, spit wetting the entrance. He let the tip of his tongue circle Baird's pink ring a few times before he tickled the entranced with it again. And Baird would tremble slightly whenever Marcus would put his mouth against it, to give it an affectionate kiss.

Baird opened his eyes a bit when he felt Marcus spreading his hole with his fingertips. It was his favorite part when Marcus performed analingus: when Marcus would open his hairy rose and plunge his tongue deep inside of him. And it's exactly what Marcus did.

He could feel Marcus' tongue poking inside of him, digging in as far as he could to savor him. He slightly arched his back, pushing against Marcus' face. Quiet contented groans floated to Baird's ears and he realized that it was coming from his lover. It surprised him since he wondered if Marcus even liked eating him out. It had randomly happened during one of their lovemaking sessions and although Baird first objected to it, he became subdued by the titillating sensations he received when Marcus licked him there.

Baird put his arm beneath his head and began to stroke himself. Marcus slowly moved his tongue from Baird's hole to take in one of his balls. He sucked on it gingerly, watching Baird's pink body flushed with heat deepen it's rosy hue as he allowed himself to enjoy what Marcus was giving him.

He then dragged his tongue to the underside of Baird's shaft, having to crawl over Baird's body to do so. It was facing up due to Baird's hard cock lying on his stomach, baiting Marcus to fondle it with his spit, which he happily obliged. When he reached the head of his cock, he gave it a few licks along the slit before Baird pushed it into his mouth. He gently suckled the head, circling his tongue around it and lathering it with spit.

Baird's eyes flew open as he felt Marcus swallow his cock to the hilt swaddling it with spittle along the way. It'd been awhile since he felt himself inside that hot mouth... He curled his fingers into the pillow sheet as he let his others run through Marcus' hair, firmly guiding his head onto his cock. He gritted his teeth as he felt a finger circle his delicate opening before invading. Damn...this was almost too much to bear...He felt himself leak pre-cum into Marcus' mouth which the man greedily sucked up.

His ass was squeezing against Marcus' fingers as he slowly inserted a second digit inside of him, still deep-throating Baird and stroking his cock. He forced his fingers harder into Baird making him arch his back again, his eyes on him all the while. He slapped the uncircumcised dick against his tongue until Baird began slowly push himself in and out of Marcus' voluntarily. He let Baird piston his cock inside of him for a few strokes before it popped out of his mouth.

Baird watched as Marcus slowly took his fingers out of him and sucked them...all with a calm expression on his flushed face, but bestial craving in his eyes. He began to stroke his saliva-covered cock again as he allowed Marcus to push his legs wider, feeling him flick his tongue ever so furiously against his awaiting rosebud once more. He lifted his head to watch Marcus ravishing him and enjoying it.

"You don't have to do this." Baird breathed out after a few minutes. "I can take it."

Marcus looked at him, gave him a few quick licks, and then climbed atop of Baird again. He hesitated, staring into his eyes. "You sure?"

"Yes," He said in a raspy voice, throwing his arms around his neck."We don't have much time."

Marcus nodded and sighted his cock against Baird's ass, letting it rub against it. Heavy breaths were coming from Baird in anticipation of what he was about to feel. His lustful eyes pleaded with Marcus to be gentle entering untamed territory as he slowly pushed himself inside. Baird's muscles immediately suffocated his cock, enough to make Marcus nearly collapse on top of him due to sheer pleasure of it.

Baird curled his toes as Marcus pushed further inside of him, feeling Marcus' weight on him now as he slowly dug his nails in Marcus' shoulderblades, Marcus wincing slightly. He closed his eyes as he tried to relax in order for his ass to readjust to his blood-gorged thick muscle that hadn't been in him for months.

Marcus' cock was pulsing inside of him, hot and hard. It felt as if his ass was slowly being stretched and would rip open. He had to take deep slow breaths to allow Marcus to shove the rest of himself in him with a heavy grunt.

Marcus brought his head down towards Baird's awaiting lips and Baird's ass tensed a bit, knowing that he was about to have a powerful cock thrusting hard inside of him in a few moments. He breathed hard in anticipation as he reached between their bodies to stroke himself. His man ran his fingers through his golden locks as he brought an arm beneath Baird's left leg.

"_Ah_!"

It was both expected yet unexpected, a mixture of pleasure and pain. Marcus had thrust hard into Baird seemingly without notice, causing Baird to release an earth-shattering scream in his ear and dig his fingers deeper into Marcus' skin. Another thrust made Marcus pull Baird's hair as he began to suck at his neck. Yet another caused a groan of ecstasy from Baird and an equally loving one from Marcus.

A fast pace was set from the beginning with Marcus ramming his thick veined dick harder and deeper into Baird's ill-prepared pink hole. Baird's body seemed to glide against Marcus as the older man covered his with kisses and loving bite marks.

Fuck. The pain was more intense than Baird's first anal session. And he knew it was because he had rushed Marcus instead of letting him take the time to properly prepare him. He wouldn't be able to sit down properly for a few days...He looked at the man that was giving him a severe pounding and found that Marcus was staring at him as well. Not being able to sit for a few days was worth it for this view.

Marcus' body glistened with sweat, giving him a shiny disposition. His hair was matted to his face as well as sticking to his flushed body. It gave him a dirty sultry look that forced Baird to pump his cock faster due to its allure. His eyes, though, are what truly entranced Baird. His cerulean eyes were brimming with complete infatuation and passion, nothing like he'd seen before. And he hadn't _seen_ it because Baird truly didn't _look_ into Marcus' eyes when they were intimate.

This was the man's true soul. He wasn't hiding behind a veil that he had to put up in society so that people could be confident and so that he, himself, wouldn't break down. He was human and had emotions that he didn't let other people see...

"Marcus..." he whispered, as a searing pain ripped through his chest. He could see Marcus' eyes slightly widen at his name being spoken with such affection. He brushed his lips against Baird's.

"Damon..." he murmured, bringing his arm from underneath Baird's leg to grasp his hand and raise it over Baird's head, interlacing fingers.

Baird moaned earnestly as Marcus shoved his tongue deeply inside of him, swirling and dancing with his. He ran his fingers in Marcus' hair as he felt Marcus' other fingers slowly close around his cock.

His nails scraped against Marcus' knuckles as he felt the man bury his face in the side of neck, breathing his warm breath onto him with every hard pelvic thrust that he gave. Baird grasped his hair as he closed his legs around his lover, enabling his cock to burrow into him deeper.

Marcus' hand slowly trailed up his body, Baird feeling the pace of Marcus' cock change from rapid short strokes to easy long ones. He could feel the throbbing cock aching for release inside of him..but only if Baird was okay with it. Which is why Marcus' thumb caressed the outline of Baird's jaw, making the younger man's face turn to him, his mind heavy with erotic pleasure.

Baird only answered the pleading eyes of his lover with a tender kiss, his fingers squeezing Marcus' hair as well as his hand, and immediately felt a final push of Marcus' cock, forcing itself deep before a flood of wet hot sticky fluid jetted inside of him. He shut his hole tight around the cock, forcing it to drain every last drop of its reserve before he let his legs fall, his body drenched and exhausted.

He grunted softly as he felt Marcus' full weight on top of him. He heard Marcus' quiet breaths as he pulled his fingers away from their clasped hands, bringing both arms around Marcus so he could hold his sweaty body closer to him. Their hearts thundered in sync within their chests as both slowly tried to regain their composure.

A small wince of pain crossed Baird's face as he felt Marcus soften inside of him and gently pull out. His eyes drifted close as he felt Marcus' creamy semen inside of him, slowly running from him.

Marcus moved from Baird's arms, shifting the bed slightly. Baird knew, without having to see, that Marcus was lying on his side next to him.

He felt gentle touches of soft lips on his neck and turned his face towards them with a quiet moan. The silky grazes of Marcus caresses moved from his neck to Baird's lips, his body responding to how Marcus seemed to be handling him delicately.

Marcus' hand touched his heated body, his skin colored with a beautiful pink He slowly rubbed Baird's stomach, an act that Baird hadn't known that he loved for him to do until then. He spread his legs wide, giving him access to his still hard cock.

Baird felt the other man's fingers make their way towards his cock, unhurriedly stroking it after they circled around it. Baird turned his body towards Marcus, feeling his lover entangle their legs so that Baird's left leg was resting comfortably on Marcus. There wasn't an inch of their bodies that wasn't touching, with Marcus arm holding Baird to his body and Baird's arms around his shoulders once more. Their bodies leisurely slid against one another, even as Marcus began pump Baird's cock a bit quicker.

Even with all of their movement, their ardent brushes against each other's tongues wasn't disturbed. The only time that they were interrupted was when Marcus succeeded at making Baird climax, the blonde shivering as he released all over Marcus' hand, letting out a moan of gratification that sent chills up Marcus' spine.

Both men stayed like that, locked in a sweaty cum-covered lover's embrace even as their eyes grew heavy with sleep and the first light of day was beginning to show.

* * *

**...Aww. I think Marcus and Baird a perfect pairing, don't you? ^-^**

***The months of the Sera calender are as follows: Storm, Rise, Frost, Thaw, Brume, Bloom, Gale, Bounty, Harvest, Heat. There is really little else to be known about it.**

***For those who are unfamiliar with what the Alcanthus is (and who haven't read the prequel to this), it's the Hotel that housed the COG Elite. You see this in Gears of War 3.**

***Lyle Ollivar was head of the Lesser Islands Free Trade Association, a group of Stranded that were organized against the COG. They fought with the COG on Vectes and agreed to a truce until the Locust were defeated. After he found out that the COG had dissolved, he approached Quentin Michaelson (the new Chairman) with a deal that he would trade his global Stranded connections for Imulsion (which Michaelson thought over but could not give an answer to since he was killed: GoW3).**

**This is all noted in Gears of War: Coalitions End as well as wiki/Lyle_Ollivar.**

***Kilo Squad was the Squad that Baird had control over in Gears of War Judgment. Halvo Bay was where they were stationed at.**

***The Octus Canon is the constitution of the COG, establishing the COG as a government. What kind of government (dictatorship, oligarchy, representative democracy) is up to you. =]**


	2. Chapter 1: Call of Duty

**With every high comes a low, unfortunately... =]**

* * *

**~*~*~Chapter 1: Call of Duty~*~*~**

_**Two months later...Month of Bounty, 20 A. E. : New Jacinto (before known as Anvegad), Anvil Gate **_

Thinking back to that night of frenzied sex they had both shared made Baird clench his sphincter. As wonderful as it had been, he wasn't able to sit properly for a week after that.

He focused his gaze out of the side of the Raven at the tumultuous scene below, holding onto the guard rail. Men and women were scattered about in different directions, buildings were slowly being reconstructed, temporary shelters were being broken down—and Marcus was nowhere in sight.

The man could easily be picked out among a mass of people. All Baird had to do was look for the fading black skull cap that he constantly wore. He was usually with a small group of people, making sure that trouble wasn't caused or alone contemplating. But Baird couldn't see him now.

And that distressed him.

Two months without a single letter or even a visit that both would have made conjugal put his normal paranoia on overdrive. Why hadn't Marcus written to him since he knew that it was the only way that the two could communicate? Baird wrote letter after letter with no response and he felt himself slowly becoming that annoying clingy person that no one wanted to date because of it.

So he stopped writing after the first month. Pissed at the fact that Marcus might be tiring of him so soon (his five years compared to Anya's fifteen) and may be starting up his passive aggressive shit again (avoiding Baird at all costs due to his feelings), he decided _not_ to indulge the man any further.

He didn't send any letters and he didn't ask for any requests for visitation, as if the latter mattered much anyway. They had all been denied recently.

It hurt like hell what Marcus was doing to him and he didn't know what he wanted to do more: avoid the man so Marcus wouldn't realize how hard Baird had fallen for him or yell at him until he was hoarse with rage. To refrain from doing the latter in written form, Baird had immersed himself in his work.

His work would be a good excuse for not writing to the man and seeing him if Marcus objected in any way. _I bet he'd use the same damn excuse_, Baird thought.

He sighed heavily, doing another sweep of the people below as the Raven slowly circled about New Jacinto. Yet, no matter how angry he was with him, Baird couldn't do anything but yearn for Marcus. It was obvious since he was actively searching (and not too discreetly either) for him.

Maybe...Maybe Baird was being a bit pessimistic. Perhaps Marcus _was_ too busy to write any letters, just as Baird. They _were_ in the post-apocalyptic period and the man took his job very seriously. But of all the letters Baird had written him, he couldn't write even _one _? Wouldn't Baird's line of thought _make sense_ then?

I _have a reason to not have anything to do, but work and sleep though. All _he_ has to do is police idiots and make sure they don't steal anything or cause trouble._

The Raven hovered a few feet in the air to let the Gear personnel on the ground below know that it was about to land before doing so. From the corner of his eye, Baird saw a flash of yellow and turned his head to see Anya heading towards him.

Anya. He didn't want to have anything to do with her. Since his conversation with her about not giving up Marcus, he didn't trust her. She seemed like what she normally was: professional on the job. He hadn't had any more disturbing feelings about her. But she _still_ wasn't to be trusted.

He had inquired to her casually if she had received any letters from Marcus. She usually delivered the letters personally and when it had been a week since he'd gotten one, he had actively sought her out. She had furrowed her brow and looked sorrowfully at him, telling him that she hadn't received anything.

And it wasn't as if he was able to go to the mail center to find out if she was being truthful or not, asking if Anya had received any mail that was truly meant for him. Firstly, it might get back to her. Secondly, it might raise suspicion. So Baird was at a loss to actually find out if the woman had tampered with _his _mail.

He snapped out of his accusatory thoughts to look down upon the woman who visited New Jacinto every week. Stepping off of the Raven, he wondered if she had asked Marcus about the letters if she was telling the truth.

_Probably not._ Baird thought. _Marcus wouldn't ever talk about that in public. More or less open up to Anya when he hadn't before. Especially about us._

"It's good that you're here, Baird." Anya said to him. He gave a smirk. Pleasantries weren't always honest.

"Yeah, I'm here." He forced a look of aggravation upon his face. "At the beck and call of Hoffman. What's he want? He's denied my requests for visi—days off."

Baird faintly saw the look of pain that passed through Anya's eyes. She wouldn't ever be used to the idea of her ex-lover being in his arms. "It's Chairman Hoffman, Corporal. Please follow protocol when you meet him." She scolded lightly as they headed towards a large gray stucco building that housed the Combat Information Center.

"I didn't do it when Prescott was alive." Baird scowled, looking around warily at the random Gears passing around him. He couldn't see Cole either now that he thought of it. "Why would I do it with Hoffman?"

"You know the Chairman better than Prescott. He sticks to protocol." Anya said, opening the door for him. "And," she added in a lower tone. "Marcus is helping to round up supplies. He's not in the city currently."

"Oh." Baird sounded dejected and relieved simultaneously which Anya caught since she cast him a confused glance. He then added in an annoyed tone, "I was looking for Cole."

"He's with him." she responded, still watching him.

He was embarrassed at the fact that she could tell that he was keeping an eye out of for Marcus, but it was none of her damn business what was going on with his relationship or his feelings.

He _was _actually looking for Cole as well. Baird couldn't forget his buddy on his short visits to the Mainland.

It was good, though, that Marcus wasn't in town. Baird wasn't really ready to see him yet. He wanted to quell his anger that raged within him whenever he thought of how Marcus stopped all communication with him.

Again.

"So what is this about?" They headed down a long hallway that looked more like a hall from an asylum: white walls, floors, doors, and lights. No color.

_Guess we have to relearn how to make paint too. _

They passed a room that Baird could identify as the CIC. Donneld Mathieson and a few other Gears were at their posts, commanding the intercoms that had been set up.

"I honestly don't know." She responded, knocking and then opening a door a few feet away from the CIC. "I need to go though. I have to make sure the supplies are dispersed appropriately."

_You'll be with Marcus _**again**_, huh?_ Baird frowned. Was this bitch the reason why Marcus never answered him? His time was consumed with her and only her since, he could guess, they were working closely whenever she visited Anvegad, now called New Jacinto.

Were they fucking again? He gave his head a slight shake. His head was filling with possible deluded thoughts: thoughts that made sense if you thought about them, but thoughts that could easily be dismissed with a bit of evidenciary proof.

_But the absence of objective evidence doesn't necessarily mean the evidence of absence._ He'd have to watch Anya's body language a bit closer to see if she gave anything away about a possible secret relationship.

"Chairman." Anya nodded her head to give notice to the man in the room, bent over a table, peering over a slew of papers.

Chairman Hoffman looked up, eyes taking in both Baird and Anya. "Lieutenant. Corporal." He greeted each in a gruff tone before returning his gaze to the papers. Anya touched Baird lightly on the shoulder, which made him want to move from her grasp, before heading down back where they'd come.

"Come in, Corporal." Hoffman said, not looking up. "I don't bite. You should know this by now."

Baird entered, shutting the door behind him while he approached the table. "No, you don't." He sighed. "Kind of wish you would pertaining to my requests."

Hoffman straightened up to look Baird square in the eyes, frowning. "Now, isn't this a surprise?" He asked. "I would have thought that you'd be damn _happy_ to be playing with bigger, shinier, and more complex mechanical toys."

"Yeah. Elated." He jeered. "I'm _overjoyed_ to be in the presence of things that are more intelligent than the dump that resides on Sera. But I need a break as well. Do you _expect_ me to work twenty-four-seven on the generator?"

"I _expect _everyone to do their part, Corporal, and for damn good reason." he growled. "Even _you_. That's why I've called you here."

"_Haven't _I been doing my part?" Baird said, slightly insulted. How could the man insinuate that he hadn't? He wasn't a fucking physicist like Adam Fenix. So learning all of the shit from the notes left behind at Azura took _time_."I haven't had a frigging break for months."

"You live at _Azura_, the haven with high standard sanitary conditions, good food, and clean sheets. I would think that _that's_ enough of a break for you." He watched Baird grit his teeth. "Besides we need you working on the Generator. What if Ollivar _had_ attacked the island? He wouldn't have even been _near_ Azura if it had been working."

He couldn't argue with the man's logic. It seemed as if Baird was bitching about not having time off to enjoy himself when people would see that his conditions at Azura were _much_ better than theirs. It w_ould_ be seen as a vacation from some points of view. And his expertise _was_ needed for the maelstrom.

But the constant work that was needed on Azura sure didn't feel like a break to him. He never got to enjoy himself due to his thoughts being consumed of his next time with his lover or working. Baird was ready to switch places with another Gear stationed within New Jacinto in a heartbeat.

They thought he was living the lavish life? They could have it.

He should have been grateful for being located there, he knew, but he honestly wasn't. Marcus wasn't there with him, so how could he enjoy himself? _And Marcus may not want to be with me for long..._ he thought, his mood souring further as he remembered the loss of contact between the two of them.

Which led his thoughts to Anya...

Baird didn't think that Anya had it in her to conceal the letters from him. Well...she _had_ it in her, but her relationship with Marcus was much more important to have it poisoned by such actions.

Marcus could have been extremely busy, but so was Baird. And his ass had found plenty of time to write him. Baird had _still_ written letters to the man during the month that he hadn't sent any. He just stashed them away.

And not _one_ damn letter did he get from that hairy gorilla.

Baird really didn't feel like facing the man anytime soon and, by what Anya had set off to do, he knew that Marcus was due back anytime now. He wanted to wrap-up whatever new assignment Hoffman had for him to do so that he could go see Cole. His buddy would be able to answer his questions about the letters.

But Cole would be with him...How would he get him alone without Marcus seeing him?

"Anyway," Hoffman continued, breaking into Baird's thoughts. "You'll be getting a two-week break starting today from Azura, so quit your bitching."

Baird nearly let a smile form on his lips, although his heart sunk a little. "Sounds good. What am I doing in the time being? Helping Sergeant Perry and his team of half-decent engineers with side-jobs they can't get to?"

"Perry and his _half-decent_ engineers kept Old Jacinto running before we had to sink it. And it was only a handful of them."

He snorted. "_I_ could have done that." Baird muttered. But he had been put on the front-line.

"You can help them on your spare time though, which, I'm sure, you'll have plenty of. But your major focus is an even dire one."

Baird's eyes slightly widened. "Sounds important." He looked down at the papers. It was a mixture of maps, figures, and reports. His eye caught a few parchment papers that as well. "What do you need me for?"

"Not any of this." Hoffman alerted Baird to not take any notice of the mess on the table with a flick of his wrist. "I don't know if you know, but we have no idea how many Gears we have. We know the population of New Jacinto and Azura, of course, but we don't know of any else. I think it's safe to assume that they're dead."

"Okay." Baird said slowly, not comprehending Hoffman's angle. "There are plenty of unknown Stranded as well that probably outnumber Gears. What's your point?"

Hoffman was quiet for a moment, his arms behind his back as he stared at Baird intently. He seemed to be chewing on his thoughts.

An idea popped into Baird's head. "Are you thinking that we should expect an attack by some violent Stranded?" he asked, a bit too excited. "Like what almost happened on Azura a couple of months ago?"

The prospect of that was a possibility and could be a grave blow to the COG when they were already in an unfortunate situation. Yet, that would allow him to spend time with Marcus...if Marcus still wanted him.

His heart ached a bit. Here he was, a poor sap pining for a man that may not be interested in him anymore when he had told himself that he was going to try and evade him.

A man in love couldn't evade his thoughts though.

Old feelings began to swell up. Baird began to wonder, for the millionth time, if he had been used all along as he had expected. Had Marcus just professed his love to get enough use out of Baird? And was he trying to rekindle his old flame with Anya as she had told him that she'd try to do?

"We have that taken care of." Hoffman finally said quietly. "What I need from you, Baird, is your expertise, your I.Q., your skills—"

Baird nodded at the compliments with a sneer. But the next words stopped him cold.

"—to be passed on to the next generation."

His breath hitched in his throat as his heart began to beat rapidly. "What do you mean?" He let out a nervous laugh. "Two weeks isn't enough to teach any snot-nosed kid anything."

"Thankfully, we have quite a few teachers still at our disposal that will do well with teaching the children the basic necessities and more. I wouldn't _ever_ put you in a room with people full of ignorance."

"You know me _so_ well." he jeered as a faint smile played upon Baird's lips. But it was wiped away soon enough.

"That's why all I need for you to do is pass on your seed. I need you to enlist into the COG breeding program."

* * *

**Baird + Fathering Children = ...Uh oh! ^_^**

***Anvegad was the city that Anvil Gate, a COG defense Fortress, had protected in the Pendelum Wars. It's also the birthplace of Samantha Byrne.**

***If you aren't too familiar with the Gears of War Story, Jacinto was sunk to flood the Locust Hollow in Gears of War 2. It was going to be sunk by the Locust Queen but, after Delta learned of her plans, they sunk it first.**


	3. Chapter 2: Alone

**Colonel Hoffman just alerted Baird that his "vacation" was really a COG necessity. He needs Baird to impregnate quite a few women with his genius. Oh the problems in store for Baird...**

* * *

**~*~*~Chapter 2: Alone~*~*~**

Augustus Cole tried not to focus on anything out of the Raven's door lest he puke again. He hated being airsick.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see Marcus peering down at the landscape below, silent. He seemed to be brooding. It was nothing new, really, since the man seemed to always look like that. But his expression now was darker..more lethal. As if anyone who pissed him off slightly would have a bullet between their eyes.

Cole could guess what brought the man to look like that: Baird.

His thoughts drifted back to the night when Cole and Dom had walked in on the two of them pleasuring each other.

It made him feel weird whenever he thought of it, but he clearly saw how pure and honest they were being with each other as well as how happy they were...even if it was for a few seconds.

_They must be fighting_...he thought.

There was chatter within the Raven between a few Gears on the radio, a voice belonging to Clayton Carmine. He watched as Marcus slowly closed his eyes as if in deep concentration, but it was a sure sign that he was trying to control his anger.

And boy did Marcus have a temper.

Cole focused on New Jacinto as he heard Gill Gettner on the radio, requesting to land. He was able to see Anya waiting for them below, shielding her eyes from the dust that the Raven kicked up.

He shook his head. He felt sorry for the poor woman. She was still hung up on Marcus, it was obvious. The two of them had history and they'd always be friends.

Yet, he also saw some of the things that she did to aggravate Baird. The woman constantly touched Marcus unnecessarily in front of his buddy, knowing that, since she was a woman, she could easily get away with it. The last time she had done it, Cole nearly had to restrain Baird from going kamikaze on her ass.

She was purposely antagonizing Baird...but to what aim? Why was she doing it?

The Raven set down and Cole jumped out, beginning to unload the supplies from the Raven with Carmine. He watched, out of the corner of his eyes, Marcus slowly get off the Raven and turn tired eyes onto Anya. She placed a hand on his arm and gently squeezed, which made Cole flinch. He was just glad that Baird wasn't here to see it.

He'd have to keep a careful eye on her.

"That it?" Cole asked Carmine who nodded to him. He raised a hand in farewell and headed over to where the ex-lovers were standing.

"...already with the Chairman." He heard Anya say when he got within ear-shot. "He's requested to see you as soon as you land though, Marcus."

Marcus didn't even emit a grunt, although the look on his face grew darker, as he headed towards the CIC, Anya starting sorrowfully after him. Cole put his hands on his hips.

"Know what's wrong with him?"

She turned her head to give him a skeptical look. "Don't you? There's only one possible explanation for him to act like this." She sighed, rubbing her left temple. "What has Baird done this time?"

* * *

_**Within the Combat Information Center...**_

"What?" Baird stared at Hoffman wide-eyed. He was sure he hadn't heard correctly. Did the man just say he needed Baird's _semen_?

"Do I need to repeat myself?" Hoffman grumbled. "I need you to enlist. Your genius is going to be needed desperately."

Baird didn't realize that his mouth had dropped open and closed it for a moment. "As tempting as that sounds..." He started slowly, his mouth feeling very dry. "I'm going to have to decline."

A mixture of emotions were conflicting Baird, but he was mostly pissed. He couldn't—and _wouldn't—_betray Marcus, even if the man was willing to do that to him. That wasn't the kind of man that Baird was. He wasn't a liar nor a cheater.

But it wasn't as if Hoffman knew about the two of them anyway. He had to make the man understand that he didn't want to do it without compromising Marcus.

Hoffman raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And why is that?"

"I have _no_ idea where the hell those women have been, what they've done, or _who_. That sounds like a death trap to me."

"I'm _sure_ that hasn't stopped you before."

"Of course not." Baird scoffed. "Because there were tests that we could take to ensure that we were clean or contraceptives to use. But now? It's up to random chance. I don't like those odds."

"It's about saving humanity, Baird. We need to repopulate Sera somehow."

"You can repopulate it without the use of my dick." Baird folded his arms across his chest, wondering where this subject of him had even surfaced from. "There are a plenty of other men that would gladly have sex with random women unprotected. Now whether they're intelligent or not is another story. _I'm_ intelligent enough _not_ to...without some form of protection."

Hoffman closed his eyes briefly. "And they've already been asked. They see how urgent it is that we begin to rebuild Sera immediately. How you can't is beyond me."

"I can see clearly." Baird snapped. "But I think it's asinine to risk my life."

"You've risked your life for seventeen goddamn years—" Hoffman began.

"—and I survived due to _common sense_." Baird finished, tapping his temple. "It's fucking stupid to copulate without knowing what the other person may or may not have. And damn dangerous for the babies."

The prospect of fucking a woman without knowing her sexual history was something that scared Baird. He had only trusted one person enough to sleep with without doing so. But to screw someone he didn't even _know _? That was something else entirely.

Baird had been a womanizer, but he wasn't ever a slut.

_And the babies_... The children were another issue. He may be fathering a number of them and he didn't like that. He didn't really want children with a bunch of random women. He really didn't want children at all.

He sighed heavily, spreading his arms as if inviting the other man for a hug. "Do you even _know_ if I'm shooting blanks or not?!"

Hoffman seemed irritated, sifting through the papers in front of him before picking one up. "Your last physical that we have from you shows you to be fit with a healthy sperm count." He shook it. "So yes, I _do_know that you aren't sterile."

"That doesn't mean anything." Baird said, crossing his arms over his chest again. "It's been nineteen years since I took a legitimate one."

"Well, we'll see in a few months if the women that you'll inseminate are showing or not, won't we?"

"We _won't_ be extinct. I don't know how many human beings are out there, but I think if you give it a few thousand years, we'll be right back to where we were. Besides," Baird continued, quickly racking his brain for more excuses. "all the damage that we've done to Sera? I think we owe it to Her to allow Her to rest before we begin destroying Her natural resources again."

"It's not a _choice_, Baird." Hoffman said in a commanding voice. "It's an order."

"Well, with all due respect, _sir_," Baird said after a few moments. "I'm not fucking doing it."

An angry look crossed Hoffman's face, but he calmly stated, "I understand your reaction. I'm going to give you a few days to think about the situation and I will ignore your insubordination. Just know that there will be consequences if you continue to hold your view on this."

"Do you think that I—".The door opened as Baird was about to let out a string of curses. He swiftly switched his gaze from Hoffman to the intruder. His boiling blood froze over.

Marcus was standing there, his icy blue eyes focused on Baird. There was no warmth within them either. Just a cold deadly look.

His paled skin immediately flushed with heat as he felt his anger surge anew. Why the fuck was _he_ pissed? Baird was the fucker who was suffering due to Marcus' passive-aggressive shit he was pulling.

He didn't want to see the man's face when he was dealing with plaguing thoughts of him and now the possibility of passing his seed to unknown women that _he_ didn't get to choose.

It was all too much for him to take on...

Gritting his teeth, he looked away from Marcus, breathing through his nose to calm himself down.

"Come in, Fenix." Hoffman said. "The Corporal and I were just finishing up."

Baird cast him an angry glare. "As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing more to discuss." He made his way out of the room, avoiding Marcus' eyes, as he slammed the door behind him.

He needed to cool down before seeing him again. Taking a few deep slow breaths and letting it out just as slow, he made his way out of the CIC.

Warm air hit him as soon as he was out and he saw Cole just a few yards ahead of him. _That_ was a good thing at least.

He headed down to greet his buddy who was wrapping up a conversation with Anya. As Anya headed away, Cole turned to see him.

"Baird!" His enthusiastic voice boomed which jolted Baird. He hadn't been around his buddy in awhile, so he had to get used to his vibrant personality all over again.

"Hey." Baird couldn't muster up any happy feelings within his voice for Cole. Cole had to only take one look at him before he knew something was up.

"Hungry?" He said, shaking a shoulder of Baird's. It was firm enough to shake him out of his daze and make him realize that he hadn't eaten anything all day. He had just hopped onto the first Raven that arrived at Azura soon after he woke up.

"Yeah." He nodded. "How's the grub?" He smirked as Cole shook his head at his bad Apocalyptic joke. "Oh. Sorry. Too soon?"

Cole just laughed as they both headed towards the Gears' mess hall. "Naw. Sounds just like you. Now..were you talking about the food or...Marcus?"

Baird forced a look of nonchalance on his face. Damn was Cole good at reading people. "Weren't we talking about _food_? Hunger? Or something?"

He shook his head. "Uh oh. Sounds like trouble in paradise." He teased, making Baird blush. "We don't have any...exquisite cuisine like you do at Azura, but it's a lot better than what we had been eating during the war."

"Oh?" Baird said sarcastically, as they both entered the large room. It was filled with wooden tables and stools, hastily built. This wasn't the time to focus on luxury... "You mean they found something to sweetly lace the shit you eat so that it doesn't taste as bad as it does?"

"Something like that." He chuckled as they both went to stand in line. "Tastes like a gourmet meal now, baby!"

Cole then began to engage in conversation with someone that Baird hadn't seen before. It allowed Baird to have a moment's peace with himself.

He had wanted to ask Cole of the letters and Marcus' behavior, but he didn't want to make Cole uncomfortable. It was hard enough, he knew, for Cole to _not_ think of the night that he had walked in on the two of them...especially when both Marcus and Baird were in such close proximity to each other.

He picked up his tray, vaguely noticing that Cole wasn't following, still engrossed in his conversation. And Baird was forced to think back to how he felt when he had signed up for the Gears: alone. No comrades, no friends, just a loner who a Thrashball player had taken pity upon and talked to.

What if Cole hadn't been there? What would have happened to Baird then? Who would have helped him when he had his head stuck down a toilet? Or who would have helped him find a regiment to join that he knew at least _one_ person didn't think he was too much of an asshole to join?

Baird stared around at the faces of Gears that he didn't know and felt a sinking despairing feeling...

"Seems like you're lost, Blondie." A voice came from behind him. Bernie appeared beside him smiling. But it soon fell as she caught sight of his face.

A small smirk passed his lips. Lost. That was _exactly _how he felt. At a loss.

His camaraderie with his former Gears seemed to be broken or missing because he didn't feel it anymore...as if he wasn't welcomed. It was obvious, wasn't it?

He barely knew anyone in New Jacinto. That was because he had mainly stuck with his regiment and the Gorasni. But the Gorasni had gone back to Gorasnya.

Dom was dead.

Cole seemed to have branched out and made new friends that weren't such pessimists like Baird.

His lover seemed pissed at _him_ for some reason.

Due to this, Baird slowly realized that he didn't have a place in New Jacinto and he wondered if he even _needed_ to come back. He didn't feel comfortable...and he felt comfortable at Azura, where everyone kept to themselves and where he had actually struck up a conversation with some. It was familiar territory, something that he'd been used to all of his life-alone.

"What's wrong?"

Baird slightly blushed. He didn't need Bernie fussing over him, although he would have liked to reveal his feelings to her.

"I just lost my appetite, Granny" was all he said, handing her his tray of food. "I'm going to lie down."

At that, he headed out of the mess hall with Bernie looking after him.

* * *

Baird entered his temporary room, but stopped in the middle of the doorway to see Marcus sitting down upon his be, his body bowled over, eyes concentrated on the floor.

It looked like a defeating pose.

"Yeah." Baird sneered after a long moment of silence, wondering how Marcus even knew where his room was located. "I can see how that could be annoying. People showing up unannounced in your room when you want to do something else. Remind me _not_ to do that to you again, will you?"

When Marcus didn't move or respond to him in any way, Baird moved into the room, shutting the door behind him.

"I expected you to be at the mess hall."

"Do you want me to leave?" His voice was low, his words laced with poison. And it was fast-acting because they rooted Baird to where he stood, right before Marcus.

"I-I didn't say that." he stammered out. _Oh, come on! What happened to evading this man and showing him how he can't treat you any kind of way that he wants?!_

His attempt at building up bravado was washed away when he looked into Marcus' deep-blue soulless eyes. They were completely empty, devoid of any emotion, and it caused Baird to slightly shiver.

"Didn't you?"

"...What I said was meant to be a joke..." Baird seemed to be gasping for breath as he was grasping at some thought that would give him the strength to face this man's temper.

But Baird knew he had fallen so fast and so hard for Marcus that any remnant of his former self was buried deep within him. He couldn't even remember the man he was before Marcus had changed his life.

Yet...he didn't deserve Marcus' coldness, he knew that much. And he was able to fill his body with renewed vigor by way of anger and those thoughts.

He could feel his skin heating up as his lips pursed and his eyes narrowed. This man didn't deserve to make Baird feel as if _he_ had done something wrong. That beast had hurt him for a reason that Baird couldn't place and was _angry_ at him as well.

What the fuck did _Baird_ do?

He placed a leer on his face. "It's not my fucking fault that you can't distinguish when I'm joking." He could see the demon that lurked within Marcus awakening as his eyes slightly widened. "But, if you _mustfucking know_, I _didn't_ want to see you right now. I wanted time to myself."

Marcus slowly stood, stretching himself to his full height as he stared at Baird, crossing his arms over his chest. "Guess Azura wasn't enough, huh?"

"No. It wasn't. And specifically because I came here when I didn't fucking want to." He knew the words would cut at Marcus.

It was obvious that they did because Baird could visibly see his body expanding and relaxing as he took breath, the skin that was taut over his chin, and his eyes that looked as if they were slits.

"Is that right." A simple statement that carried more weight than what was apparent, Baird knew. But he wouldn't stop.

He couldn't. He _had _to let Marcus know just how much he'd hurt him by hurting him back.

"Yeah." He nodded. "I have a lot of shit to think about. And your passive-agressive bullshit is not high on the list with me."

"...It's finally good to know where I honestly stand with you." Marcus then averted his eyes to the door, heading towards it. He opened the door and stood still for a few seconds, before speaking in a nearly inaudible tone full of fury. "I guess I won't feel so bad about what's going to happen."

The resulting slam of the door made all of Baird's bodily functions stop, the ominous words ringing in his ears.

* * *

**Hell hath no fury like a lover scorned...Will Baird end up regretting his words?**


	4. Chapter 3: Labyrinth of Emotions

**So sorry that it's been SO long since an update. The story stopped with Marcus' odd words to Baird, Baird having no knowledge of what he meant. Just like any kind of foreboding circumstance, Baird wonders just what Marcus was implying...**

* * *

**~*~*~*~Chapter 3: Labyrinth of Emotions~*~*~*~**

_**New Jacinto Hospital, New Jacinto, Anvil Gate **_

_**A week and half later...  
**_

As much as Baird relished silence, he couldn't dwell in it if he was extremely bothered. Unfortunately, he was and had been for awhile.

Waking up the day after the fight, Baird decided that it was best for him to explain what he was feeling to Marcus. It didn't really make sense to hide from the man when _he_ would know the answers to why Marcus had stopped sending him letters.

Making up would also allow them to get back to business. "The business"was a _large_ part of the reason why Baird wanted to let go of his anger, he selfishly admitted to himself. The fact that he had Marcus in such a close proximity and couldn't fuck him was driving his libido crazy.

Yet, as he went in search of his hairy pri-mate, he couldn't find hide nor tail of Marcus that day. And since that day. It seemed as if the man had simply vanished. Baird had inquired about his whereabouts with little to no information received. And as much as Baird would have liked to have done a more active search for him, he wasn't able to without bringing suspicion upon himself.

A week had since passed from his last search and he had learned that Doctor Isabel Hayman had asked for him to visit. This, he thought, was highly unusual since the old crone never _visited_ with anyone. When he had arrived to her cramped office in the hospital that morning (a building that had seen better days but was slowly coming around), his eyes widened as she thrust a small cup and something that he hadn't seen in ages-pornographic magazines-in his face, telling him in a curt voice "Hurry up and fill the cup! The other areas of the hospital are full, so you'll have to do it in here." Her expression wasn't too pleased.

"Fill this with what? My piss?" The words were out of his mouth before he could reel them in. She had just stared at him as if he was a pitiful dumb child.

"If I have to tell you what to do in this instance, I'm surprised you've survived the war."

He faintly wondered how someone hadn't squeezed a bullet between her eyes due to her lack of bedside manner.

"Why do you need a sample of my..._mine_?" He inquired as she began to search in a drawer for something. The small office was stashed full of papers, folders, and other things. There was barely any room for him to move.

"You have your orders and what to do. Now do it!" she snapped.

Baird froze, clenching the magazine in his fist. "I _told_ Hoffman that I wanted nothing to do with this." In all of his searching for Marcus, he had completely forgotten about Hoffman's decree to him.

"Look." she turned to him, beady eyes staring at him coolly. "It's either you do it this way or you do it the old-fashioned way. Hoffman said that you bitched about doing it the other way, so _this_ way is _safe_." She shook her head in annoyance. "Do you think I _want_ to do this? I don't. I have other people to care for instead of your semen. I should be tending to them. But I'm being forced to do this."

She moved to another drawer, grumbling. "I mean...I understand _Marcus_ doing it this way since he's with that girl-"

Those words made him sharpen his focus on her. "What do you mean?" He tried to sound disinterested. "I didn't think Anya would be accepting of Marcus doing it."

Hayman snapped at him. "He _wasn't_ asked. But even _you_ should know that if Marcus was asked to help better Sera in any way possible, he would do it. So _why_ are you bitching?_"_

Baird gritted his teeth. No one had ever spoken to him so harshly before besides his mother. And he was ready to strangle the hag. Lack of sex made Baird's rational and somewhat adept social skills sink closer to a rabid animal than a civilized human.

She shuffled over so that she could stand in front of him, her official white coat seeming to swallow her small frame.

"Look." She said, in a tone that was almost civil. "The recipient has promised to raise your child away from you. You won't have any ties with it and it will have a loving home. So there is no need to worry. Your daily life will not be affected. But it is necessary that your genetic material be used to pass on your intelligence. Let's just hope the child doesn't have your arrogance as well."

"But I'm not the type of man to abandon a kid that I've birthed."

"You can't abandon a child truly if you're dead before they're born."

He looked at her skeptically, a small sneer on his face. "But I'm not...and I won't be. Unless if you or someone else tries to slip me something."

"I haven't got the time." She shook her head fiercely. "Let someone else do my job for me. What I meant, though, is that she will tell the child you died bravely in the war. With the lack of resources, there's no way to _prove_ that, now is there? Unless if you go blabbing." She added as an after-thought before leaving the room.

Baird sighed. He was racking his brain for any way out, something that he could do to ensure that he wouldn't have to do this against his will. But short of catching a disease, he could think of nothing.

His eyes perused the glossy print of a buxom tan brunette, legs spread to reveal her tender spot between her thighs. It embarrassed him to realize that he hadn't seen a woman's vagina in ages...and that his member hadn't shifted—not even slightly-at the sight of it. Usually a woman in such a vulnerable position would have made him instantly rock hard.

Focusing on the perky nipples and round succulent breasts didn't help either. He found himself flipping through the pages slowly, criticizing each woman on a certain feature that he found to be unattractive—the "placed" position of her body, the "pouty" lips, too much make-up—until he threw the magazine down in disgust.

What was he going to do? What _could_ he do? He realized Hoffman had backed him into a corner. At least Baird didn't have to explore unknown territory unprotected, but he was still giving himself to another woman.

_Yet...it's not like anyone will _really _know. _He thought. _Only Hoffman and Hayman. I won't ever see the kid... __And what did Hayman say? That if Marcus was in a similar position, he certainly wouldn't hesitate?_

That thought opened up a flood-gate of emotions within Baird, and he instantly felt a wave of anger wash over him.

Marcus lived for the COG and he would die by it. If anything was needed for him to do, he would certainly find a way to do it. Just like how he hid his relationship about Anya even though _everyone_ knew and the times Marcus hadn't ever responded negatively when people asked for favors instead of going to fuck out Baird's brains.

Baird could guess that Marcus wouldn't have been struggling with his decision if he had been in Baird's place. If his seed was needed and Marcus wasn't with Anya (as everyone thought), he would have happily filled up a thousand cups due to his sense of honor and duty.

He wouldn't even _think_ of Baird.

He stared at the small cup. Would it be okay for him to do this since Marcus would undoubtedly do the same?

* * *

_**In a field 10 miles from New Jacinto...**_

"Marcus, you _don't_ have to do this if you don't want to..." she whispered as the wind blew about them. Both Anya and Marcus were shaded by a giant oak that stood alone proudly in a wheat field. It gave them time to rest, although that was all they had been doing.

The large man was silent, not responding to her words.

She tried to catch his eyes, but he avoided hers as he seemed to stare into space. His back was against the strong oak, both hands rested upon a raised knee. But she could see by the slight twitch of his hard-set jaw that he was struggling with something he rarely spoke about: his feelings.

"But Baird..." she goaded softly, trying to get him to speak. "What about him? Surely you've thought about this..."

He said nothing for a long while before speaking in such a hushed tone that Anya had to strain to hear him. "It seems like that's what he wants now..."

"I'm sure there's an explanation for his actions." Anya said, her voice filled with emotion. "I'm sure Baird is only doing what he thinks is right which is why he may be avoiding you. Whatever the reason."

Marcus gave her a long look before replying. "So am I." Anya said nothing else, but she sneaked glances at Marcus as the sun began to set. She couldn't believe what he was going to do...and she didn't want to imagine what the news would do to Baird.

"So, that's it then?" She finally spoke, shaking her head as she received an incoming transmission over a private line of the communications network, slowly standing. "Sorry, Marcus. Someone's on the line." The words sounded stupid as she said them aloud. It was obvious that he wasn't going to answer her.

"...Yes, Chairman. This is Lieutenant Stroud." Listening for a few moments, she glanced at Marcus quickly then said, "It's...still unsure, sir...Of course. We're only sixteen klicks out. We'll recover the material." She pursed her lips.

Marcus gave her a tired look, but listened to the snippets of her conversation as he got up. Anya grabbed their Lancers that were leaning against the tree and gave him a weak smile. She handed Marcus his as they both headed back to the Packhorse that was resting a few feet away.

"What does he want us to do?" Marcus muttered, eyes warily surveying the terrain with the light from the sun draining fast. Even though Anya knew that the Maelstrom had completed destroyed any Lambent and Locust, they were still threatened by other humans. She also knew that Marcus' guard would never be let down. It was second nature to him.

"We have to go and recover precious material from the lab." She whispered, still listening.

He stared at her climbing into the driver's seat, his eyes showing that he was a little puzzled. "What kind of _precious material_? Is it hazardous?"

She began to shake her head, to declare that she was unsure, before she froze. "_What _is right_. _As well as w_ho._" She said softly. Marcus threw the Packhorse into gear, watching her, heading back to New Jacinto. "And hazardous? You decide...Uh...Chairman, sir? Did you say Corporal Baird?"

Her eyes were wide as she turned to Marcus, taking her hand off of the comm button so that Hoffman wouldn't hear her. "Oh god, Marcus. The sample? It's Baird's."

"I kind of figured that from what you said." he responded as Anya concluded her conversation with Hoffman. "But what _kind_ of sample? What makes anything of Baird's so damn _precious_?"

"His..." Her voice trailed off as she tried to avoid his eyes. She knew that he had the right to know so she inhaled deeply before turning to him. "It's his sperm." She said, watching Marcus' face closely for any sign of a reaction. The only thing that she could see was a slight widening of his eyes.

"His sperm?" Marcus sounded almost confused, though it was apparent that he was more than a little uncomfortable. "Why would they need his sperm?"

She gritted her teeth, wanting to spare him any pain but knew that telling him was the right thing to do. "Baird's enlisted in the Breeding Program, Marcus. By this time next year, he may be a father."

She didn't expect the Packhorse to suddenly jerk to a stop, throwing her forward so that her chest hit the dashboard. Nor did she expect to see the type of emotion in Marcus' eyes as he stared back at her.

She began to fumble out an apology to tell him, asking him to excuse the poor timing of the revelation of such sensitive information when Marcus sighed. He said nothing as he continued to drive, Anya tentatively watching him, until the settlement was in view. She had to draw the words out of him.

"Are you...okay, Marcus?" she whispered, turning her soulful eyes upon him.

Marcus blinked rapidly a few times. He seemed to be chewing over his words, picking them carefully. "Baird..." He said softly, no emotion in his voice. "Baird was doing his duty, what he was told. And I'm doing the same."

The last word held an air of finality for the conversation and no more words were spoken as the Packhorse sped to New Jacinto.

* * *

_**Within the tavern at New Jacinto...**_

Baird shook his head as he finished his third beer. The usual bad tasting liquor was beginning to taste bearable, which was a good thing. He didn't want to be drunk off his ass, but he wanted to dull the traitorous feeling that filled his chest. He felt like he'd just cheated on Marcus without even _doing_ anything.

Looking around the busy pub, Baird noticed the drunken people were galore, laughing and cavorting about like fools. He tried to tune them out as he searched for the gray-braided Cat Lady. Baird had asked her to see if she could maneuver any news about his lover from the Chairman, since he usually told Bernie everything. He had yet to see her come in. Or Cole for that matter.

"Think of the devil..." Baird muttered aloud as he watched Cole enter.

A loud yell in greeting rose to him and Cole bellowed one back, raising both hands like he used to in his Thrashball days. Cole then began to make his rounds of personal acknowledgments to every person he knew as well as a few he didn't. By the time he had made his way to Baird, he had two beers in his hand. Sitting down across from Baird, he pushed one over to him.

"Hey." Cole sounded a little worn out, although no one would know due to his usual demeanor. Baird nodded in greeting, happily bringing the mug to his lips. "What's going on? I haven't really seen you around."

"Doing business for Hoffman and helping out the engineers with side projects while they drag their ass." He took a swig, and welcomed the homemade brew down his throat. The feeling of despair was slowly being overtaken by a warm calming feeling. Why did it take three beers for him to get drunk? "Also..." He dropped his voice an octave, keeping the tip of the mug to his lips, "wondering where the hell everyone's been."

Cole knew what Baird meant by _everyone_ although he nodded. If he seemed a bit abashed by Baird talking about his lover subtly, he didn't seem to show it. Baird thought it was because Cole knew that Baird was more likely to open up with a few drinks sloshing around in his gut and if he was sober, he'd never have even broached the subject with him. "That's...actually what I wanted to talk to you about."

Baird's eyes slightly widened as he set down his mug, peering at Cole from across the table. He stated nothing, leaning forward to hear over the din of the noise. "What about it? You know where they are?"

Cole shook his head. "It's about Anya though." Baird sighed, not wanting to talk about one of the banes of his existence. "You notice how close Anya seems to be getting to Marcus?"

He nodded, taking another drink. "Yeah. But they're close friends. She knows how to comfort him. She touches him a bit too fucking much, but what can I do?"

His tone was exasperated. "I can't tell her to _stop_ touching him since it'll get back to Marcus. I can't make a public scene because we'll be outed. I can't ask Marcus to _stop_ allowing it and think about _me_ for a change..." He snorted, the words forcing him to remember how Marcus and he weren't even on speaking terms currently. Throwing up his hands in a defeatist pose and sitting back in his chair, he hissed "Fuck it, Cole. I'm screwed!"

He didn't need to be reminded how much he _loathed_ some double standards. As much as he wanted to stroke his lover's arm, kiss his hard lips, or simply give him a prolonged hug in public, _they_ would be judged. They were both men and there was no leniency for them.

But any woman like Anya? They could do it as much as they wanted to since society damn nearly _praised_ them for it. It hurt like hell, and he no longer wanted to be reminded of it. Especially since Marcus seemed to have left to fuck knows where.

Baird was about to continue speaking, bringing his mug of alcohol to his lips, when a drunk fell backwards into him.

He growled as the mug flew out of his hands, half of his alcohol spilling onto the table before he could stand it up. Baird himself nearly toppled to the floor due to the impact. Cole tried hard not to laugh as both Baird and he stood, then headed to the bar to find something to clean up the mess while Baird turned his lethal eyes to the drunk.

The blue-eyed blonde angrily shoved the drunk away, pushing him into someone standing at the table next to him. His mood was already foul without some drunken slop getting in his way and was hoping for the drunk to turn around to try to begin a confrontation so he could throw a frustrated punch.

If he exercised out his pent up feelings, he'd feel better.

His eyes were slits as he loured at a drunken Lennard Parry, a goofy toothy grin replacing the irritated look that he had shot behind him to see who had shoved him."Sorry, Baird." Parry slurred, grabbing a beer from the table where he stood and, trying hard not to stumble, made his way towards him. He slammed the beer down in front of Baird. "Hope this can make up for what I spilled."

"Do you _like_ being a drunken ass, Parry, or are you just hiding a genetic disposition to alcohol?" Baird sneered. "That was only your first drink, if I remember correctly."

"I don't drink much ass." Parry said in a hard tone, but it held no malice. "Besides, we're all celebrating."

Baird gave him a skeptical look, his fury not dissipating. "What's there to celebrate? We're in the post-apocalyptic period due to our own idiocy, or, rather, the idiocy of a few. The civilization that we've known will take thousands of years to rebuild which _I_ won't live to see. And I have an annoying drunk bothering me. So I ask again, what is there to celebrate?"

A small laugh escaped Parry. Baird's nose scrunched up in disgust and his eyes looked disfavorably upon Parry who had put his arm around him as if they were close. Parry shook his head. "A marriage. There's...going to be a _marriage_. I don't know who...but we're celebrating the fact that people can find love _now_. Isn't that reason enough to celebrate, Pess...Pess...Pessimism?"

Baird ignored the alcohol-induced dig, moving away from Parry's faux brotherly embrace. "Well, go _celebrate_ with the other drunks. How am I supposed to enjoy my drink if a nuisance bothers me?"

Parry just laughed and moved back to his table. Baird gritted his teeth to keep calm, doing another once-over for Bernie. He caught Cole chatting up the same barmaid that Baird wanted to sleep with as he looked at the clock over the bar. It was 8:30 but he saw no sign of the old lady. What was keeping her?

"I can't believe you're not joining us, especially since the people getting married are people you know, Princess." Baird didn't hide his groan of disgust as Alexandria Brand came into his view from behind him.

"I just _got_ rid of a bothersome idiot and another comes. Is there _no_ end to you, cockroaches?"

Alex gave a smile that clearly told him that she was enjoying riling him up. "I _live_ to annoy you, Baird. Now, are you _going_ to answer the question or are you going to continue being the same careless dick that you are?" She motioned over at Cole without looking. "I mean, what kind of friend calls his friend a "cockroach"?"

"I wasn't referring to Cole." Baird nearly snapped at her, his temper almost flaring. He then sighed and responded, "I don't know _anyone_ getting married."

Alex shook her head as she eyed the beer that was spilled on the table now dripping over the side. "Wow. What kind of comrade you are." She shook her head. "They're in your Squad."

He raised a single eyebrow, his interest peaked, eyes returning to Cole. "Well, I wouldn't know a damn thing about what my Squad has done since I'm not usually around them much anymore." He purposely said _them_ to show her that he didn't consider her part of Delta truly. She picked up on it, her eyes looking dangerous.

So what if she had saved his life from Annalisa? She was _still_ an annoying bitch to him. Even if she did have her tolerable moments like Samantha Byrne.

He racked his brain to think of anything commemorative that had been done in the past two weeks. "And I _know_ it can't be you." he jeered. "Who'd want to be miserable like that?"

Alex laughed nonchalantly. "And you call yourself a genius." She shook her head. "Marcus and Anya. It's _their_ marriage."

A bomb seemed to drop into Baird's stomach, a feeling of dread overtaking him. As much as he wanted to come up with a snarky remark to overcome the rush of confusing sensations that he was feeling throughout his body, but he was speechless.

Without realizing, he took a physical step back as if the blow of the news had knocked him. His skin slowly drained of any color. He felt as if the wind had been vacuumed out of him and he couldn't breathe. He stared ahead of him at nothing in particular, fumbling for the chair ahead of him in order to sit down.

_No._ He thought. _It CAN'T_ _be_. _He wouldn't do that, would he? It just CAN'T be..._

But as much as he didn't want to believe it...he knew it was true. Alex didn't know about Marcus' relationship with him. There was no way that she'd be lying of something major. He also knew that this was true...because everything about the past few months _fit_ into a neat slot.

Marcus' abrupt end of written letters to him.

The fact that both Cole and he noticed how Anya was freely touching Marcus.

And his words...the last words that Marcus had told him. They hit him as if a train had barreled down on him at full speed.

"_...Won't feel so bad about what's going to happen..."_

Marcus knew. The bastard _knew_. He knew all of this time and _never_ thought to tell Baird. Not in a letter or even to his _face._ Just how long was that asshole keeping the fact that he was getting married?!

It had to be two months since that was when the letters stopped coming. That twisted Baird's heart so painfully that he nearly doubled over.

Was that why Marcus was in his room that night? To tell him the secret that he'd hidden from him since he couldn't take the guilt anymore? A rush of evil joy went through Baird. He was now glad that he kicked the dipshit out of his room. And now he didn't feel bad about donating his sperm.

Alex had perked up at his sudden change of demeanor and sat down in the chair next to him. Cole had come back to the table with a dry cloth and immediately caught his buddy's face. "What's wrong?" he asked in a serious tone, wiping the table.

Baird took the towel from him to wipe his side of the table, not hearing Cole's question. "...It's...It's against the rules. No fraternizing with other Gears especially those who are Officers."

She shrugged her shoulders, drinking her beer, seeming to be satisfied that she was the reason why Baird was stricken speechless. "I didn't think you'd be one to care for rules, Princess." she said, as Cole returned to his seat. "But Hoffman pardoned them. He told them that they couldn't resume duties until they agreed to be married. Only Delta knows who though." She added, staring at him to let him know that this confirmed her place in Delta Squad.

Hoffman pardoned them? _Hoffman_? He shook his head, his stomach feeling sick. That couldn't be right. Hoffman was one to always abide by the strict rules of the COG. He _knew_ what the rules were...

Then again, Marcus _was_ a close friend of Hoffman's and Hoffman knew that Anya and Marcus were close. He had also urged, if Baird remembered correctly, Sam Byrne, Samantha's father, to stay with his pregnant girlfriend instead of head out to war. If Hoffman would do _that_ for a soldier...

Baird's white skin immediately rushed with an angry red, fury overtaking the feelings in his gut, chest, and head. "Did _you_ know about this, Cole?" He said, his tone slightly accusatory, clenching the towel in his fist. He was glad that Alex hadn't picked up on it since she had leaned back in her chair to speak to someone at the table next to them. Baird would feel hurt and betrayed if Cole knew about engagement. Why _wouldn't_ he tell him? They were _fucking_ buddies.

"Know about what?" Cole seemed genuinely surprised as he took a drink, his eyes fleeting from Baird to Alex then back.

He whispered through gritted teeth, barely able to control his breathing. "Anya and Marcus. Getting hitched."

Cole nearly spit out the liqour. "What?!" He said a bit loudly. Alex looked back at them, but continued her conversation as Cole whispered. "Are you sure?"

"Quiet down, Cole!" Baird seethed, nostrils flaring. He was seeing red. He couldn't think straight...so many thoughts were going through his head... "That's what Alex said! It all makes sense. Don't you see, Cole? _Everything_ makes sense."

"_What_ makes sense, baby?" Cole tried hard to whisper. "To me, _nothing_ makes sense. Not about _this! _Are you sure?"

No. He wasn't. He wasn't absolutely sure. But Alex wouldn't blatantly lie about something like that. She had nothing to gain from it. And Parry had even said that people were celebrating a marriage...Wasn't that _proof_ enough?

Baird related his thoughts to Cole who shook his head when his "evidence" was presented. "I see what you mean, Baird, but _something's_ not right. I mean, you say Marcus never wrote you but I've _seen_ him writing letters."

"Maybe he couldn't send them because he wanted to tell me in person that _this_ was what he was going to do." Baird's head was pounding with fury and he was becoming more erratic by the second. "I mean, Hoffman _pardoned_ them to have a fucking wedding, Cole! And we _both_ know that Marcus is Hoffman's pet and how fucking strict the man is on rules. For fuck's sake, he nearly _demoted_ me for a slight insubordination! Remember?!"

Baird watched Cole nod, his chest feeling heavy and his throat feeling as if there was something in it. He began to wheeze and had to force himself to take deep breaths. His blood was boiling and there was no way to stop it.

"_That's_ why I said it doesn't make any sense. Hoffman letting them do this? It goes against one of the rules in the COG."

"So does giving Sam's father the option to stay behind and not have to face a court martial for his knock-up."

"Baird, that was an extreme case-"

"-Yet one that _still_ defies the rules. _Why _are you defending him, Cole?!" Baird stared at him, not a little hurt that his friend seemed to be siding with the Hero once more. The same man who was notorious for pulling wool over people's eyes and getting whatever he wanted. The same man that Baird hated before.

"I'm not!" Their conversation was no longer strained due to Alex moving to the bar with Parry. "Something seems off about this to me. Doesn't it seem that way to you?"

"No." He responded, deadpanned, his head pounding with anger. "After all the _fucking_ letters I sent..." His voice nearly broke and he had to clench his jaw. His heart was breaking and he didn't know how to stop it. He hadn't ever felt this way and it was one of the reasons why he never wanted to get into a relationship with Marcus in the first place: he _never_ wanted to feel what he knew, deep in his heart, would happen: a string-along rejection, a horrid man using him for his body and affection, and a shattered dream.

Cole shook his head once more. "Letters you sent?" he said confused.

"Yes, Cole!" Baird responded hoarsely. "I sent letter after letter after fucking letter and didn't get a response from Marcus!" He placed a hand over his heart, clutching his chest. The pain was almost too unbearable...

His best friend shook his head fervently, saying once more. "Baird baby, something's _not_ right—"

"—You're damn right it's not." He said standing abruptly, hitting the table which made the drinks slosh onto the surface of it once more.

He needed to leave. Everything was fucking with him at that moment. It was too hot in the tavern. Everyone was speaking too loud. The stench of alcohol that surrounded his nose made him want to vomit, something that he was close to doing. He wanted to punch the wall and destroy something, but in order to stop himself from doing it, he had to leave.

His eye caught the clock above the bar again and read 8:50. He only came to the tavern to wait for Bernie and speak to her, but it was obvious that she wasn't going to show up. _She may have known..._ That thought just made him even more angry. Alex _did_ say that _Delta_ knew about it. And it was obvious why Cole didn't know—he would have told Baird which would have turned into nasty business.

"I need...I need to go." he whispered, too low for Cole to hear as he slammed the towel on the table. It was hard to restrain himself from making a furious exit, but he casually walked out of the bar and headed towards the helicopter pad in the middle of New Jacinto. He knew that a Raven was due to come inbound and he was leaving back to Azura, whether Hoffman granted it or not.

He couldn't be around his former comrades. He felt that they were liars, keeping secrets from him, destroying his relationship with a man that he was in love with, celebrating a relationship he hated.

It should have been _him_! _Baird_ should have been with the man that he loved. _He _should have been in the relationship. Why, after five years, did Marcus decide to do this to him? Why did Marcus just prove what Baird had believed all those years ago—the man was only using him for his selfish purposes!

The sharb jabs in Baird's chest grew as he heard heavy footsteps behind him. He briskly walked with no intention of turning around as a Packhorse zipped past him in a rush, drowning out the voice that was calling out to him

"Baird!" Cole called once more, his voice flitting into Baird's ear.

"Go the_ fuck_ away, Cole!" Baird yelled, turning his head back to him. "I'm done! It's done! We're done! Just go. The fuck. _Away_!"

Baird heard a Raven in the distance and sped up his walk to a light jog. Heavy breaths could be heard behind him. Cole was trying to keep up with him.

He finally caught up with Baird and stood in front of him as the Raven came into Baird's view.

"Listen!" Cole yelled, stopping Baird in his tracks by placing a firm hand on each of his shoulders and shaking him. "Something's not adding up! I have no idea why Marcus would do this now, but Baird...a few weeks ago he was _angry_ with you! Don't you remember?!"

"He wasn't angry, Cole." Baird huffed out, defeat, hurt and anger evident in his voice. He removed Cole's hands from him. "He felt guilty about what he was going to put me through. And all the time I _wasted_ for him is what really pisses me off."

He ran both hands through his blonde locks, sighing heavily. "I always knew that this would happen...sort of. But I allowed myself a piece of happiness. I believed that it wouldn't.." He shook his head, his hands on his thighs. "It's not like I could compete with a fifteen year relationship. And they've been spending so much time together that it should have been obvious..."

Cole shook his head once more as Baird, trying to keep the tears from springing to his eyes, nodded. "No."

"Yes." Baird retorted, nearly choking up.

"No."

"Yes..."

"No!"

"Yes, Cole! How can you stand there and deny it?!" Some of the anger had left Baird as he slowly came to a realization, the anger being replaced by severe emptiness. "He projected whatever feelings he had for Anya onto me for some reason. He was confused, thinking he wanted me. And now he realizes that his heart will always belong to Anya. Besides that..the only thing I can think of is that some men are afraid of long-term commitment."

"He's been with her fifteen years so I doubt he's afraid of commitment." Cole reasoned. "And Marcus isn't the kind of guy to misinterpret his feelings."

"The man doesn't talk about them, so how _wouldn't_ he misinterpret? And I mean a commitment to a _man_, Cole." He sighed again once more, sidestepping his best friend and staring deeply into his eyes. "Afraid to truly commit to _me_. If he loved me, he wouldn't be doing this, now would he? No matter if Hoffman okay'ed it. He wouldn't be marrying that bitch. He would have sent me letters back. And we'd be together right now."

He closed his eyes due to the fact that his voice nearly gave away his deep-seated sadness. "I'm trying...I'm trying to keep my respect for him." The words came out almost breathlessly as Baird began walking, Cole right next to him. "Maybe he wasn't being malicious. Maybe he was trying to let me down easy but didn't know how. It would fit with his awkward mannerisms: he isn't socially adept to emotional situations. I don't know why, but I don't want to think anything horrible about him...as if he did this on purpose. Maybe..because..I love him...

But if he _was_ trying to hurt me... Oh fuck, Cole if he _was_ stringing me along—" The murderous look that he gave Cole forced the bigger man to slow down. "I won't forgive him, Cole."

The incoming Raven had set down by the time that both of them made it to the helipad. Anger was simmering beneath Baird's surface as he clenched and unclenched his fists, but he forced himself to dwell in a mindset that he rarely did: Optimism. The opposite would lead to disastrous consequences...and Baird didn't want that.

"I need to leave." Baird repeated to his buddy, waving his hand around to indicate New Jacinto. "I can't stay here and...and face this Cole. I did Hoffman's bidding and there's no reason for me to stay here." He looked away from his friend's hurt face. "I don't even know...if I'll come back."

"—Baird—" Cole began as his friend got into the Raven.

"What are you doing in here, Baird?" Gettner's annoying voice called from the cockpit.

"I'm done." Baird said flatly, revealing no emotion although there was a wave of them underneath. He buckled himself in. "No point in me staying."

"I didn't hear anything about taking anyone back."

"Well, it's one extra passenger." His voice was tight. "What's the big deal? I'll deal with it."

"It's a big deal since my ass is on the line. I don't care about yours." she shot back. "Did Hoffman say you can-"

"_Yes,_ Gill!" Baird bellowed, fuming. His eyes were cold and hard as he stared at her eyes as they grew large in the cockpit rear-mirror. "Anything else?! You want to fucking check in with my mom to see if it's okay that I go back to my fucking home?! Huh?! Because she's in fucking Tyrus buried beneath rubble. You want to go dig her up?!" She averted her eyes from him, clearly shaken by his unusual outburst. "Then_ please fucking take me back_."

Baird then shut his mouth tightly, gritting his teeth so hard that his jaw began to hurt. He waited to see if she was going to say anything else, then turned around to look at Cole who was shaking his head.

"I'm tired of ferrying you around." She grumbled beneath her breath after a few moments. She said nothing else when she realized that Baird wasn't responding.

"More than likely the last time you'll have to." he finally said.

* * *

Cole cursed heavily as the Raven rose into the air and took off. His brain was rapidly thinking, a heavy sinking feeling filling his chest. He wanted _nothing_ to be true. _None_ of it made sense. Marcus wasn't the kind of person to do what he was accused of doing.

_Why_ was Hoffman suddenly allowing Anya and Marcus to marry though? Why hadn't he done it before? And _when_ did he pardon them?

He made a fist and punched it into the palm of his other hand, frustrated.

"Cole?"

A surprised look flooding his eyes, Cole turned to his right to see Marcus and Anya approaching him, Anya holding a brown manila envelope. "Oh shit, I'm so glad to see you guys." He shook his head. "I need to get this out now and know—are you two getting married?"

Anya gasped as Marcus gritted his teeth. "Ah _shit_, Cole! Does _everyone_ know?!"

"Only Delta knows—" He responded, reeling from shock at the fact that what was being said was true. He could see in Marcus' eyes that he didn't have to connect the dots for him.

"How—How is he?" Anya whispered.

Cole stared at Anya, anger filling him up from nowhere. His buddy was hurting and he wanted to find out _why_. This woman had caused him a lot of pain...

He pointed in the direction that the Raven took off. "He went back to Azura." He was keeping his voice steady as not to yell at the small woman. "Finding out that your friends turned their backs on you hurts a bit."

"Good."

Cole froze as Anya gasped once more, turning his eyes on Marcus who was staring right back at him. His eyes were dead. "You don't mean that—"

"I do." He cut him off cruelly and coldly, all in a soft voice.

"But why!? I mean, what did he do?"

Marcus just watched Cole for a few moments, as if trying to read something off of his face, before reaching into his armor and producing a crumpled envelope. His eyes never left Cole's as he shoved the envelope to his chest. Cole took it, extremely confused.

"You think you know everything about your goddamn, buddy?" He whispered hoarsely. "You fucking don't."

Marcus then slowly turned away from him as Cole brought the white envelope up to read. The letter simply stated _Corporal Baird_ in neat hand-writing.

"It was in my mail." Marcus explained, no anger in his voice, no threat...it was emotionless. "I didn't want to open it, but I hadn't received a letter in a couple of months..." His voice trailed off.

He didn't need to say anything more. Cole could just _imagine_ the types of things going on in Marcus' mind when he didn't receive any letters from Baird. He remembered how Marcus had simply asked him, obviously embarrassed, if he had gotten any mail and looked a little distressed each time Cole had said no. Marcus had nearly asked him everyday. Then one day, he had simply stopped asking Cole. Cole would tell him that he still didn't get any letters and Marcus would simply look away.

Now he seemed as if he didn't care. _At all_. What had changed?

Sighing, Cole pointed at the manila envelope that Anya was holding. "What's that?" Anya opened her mouth to speak but closed it when her eyes found Marcus.

Marcus snorted. Cole couldn't tell if it was a bemused laugh or in distaste. "Baird's sperm sample. He's consented to the Breeding Program."

The Thrashball player once again was surprised. Baird had _definitely_ failed to mention that to him. "Was that why he was here?" He had heard Baird say that he had finished what Hoffman wanted him to do. Was the sample _it_? "Hoffman must have—"

"-asked him to give a sample. Baird agreed." The large man slowly turned around, growling from deep in his throat like a dangerous animal. His scar seemed to come alive and pulse like an angry wound as his arms hung by his side. "He fulfilled his..._duty_."

Cole heard the underlying tone of Marcus' voice, yet couldn't place it. His eyes grew at the information.. The fact that Marcus was showing _some_ emotion proved that he cared for Baird a little. Right? If _that_ display could be considered emotion...

"But...why? I mean, what's the point in him doing this _now-"_

"Marcus.." Anya whispered, placing a hand on his arm and slowly rubbing it, peering into his face. Marcus closed his eyes and breathed in through his nose. She turned to face Cole once more, hand still on Marcus to soothe him. "It's classified, Cole."

_Classified? Huh. Ri-ight._ Cole thought_, _knowing that she told Marcus the reason. His eyes returned to the letter he held in his hand. It had been opened with great care which allowed Cole to slip the letter out and read it.

His mouth slacked open a bit and he had to reread the letter to ensure that what his eyes were seeing were correct. Baird hadn't mentioned anything about _this_ either.

Anya seemed to already know about it since she avoided Cole's eyes. "Marcus. When...when did you get this?"

"It must have come with his last letters." His voice could barely be heard since he had brought a hand to cover it. "The month that the post office was backed up...when Lyle Ollivar was at Azura. I found it last month..."

Around the time that Marcus had stopped inquiring about the letters from Baird.

"Shit." Cole verbally stated his disagreement with the letter in his hands. He had thought about it a dozen times and he'd continue to think it.

Something was _definitely_ wrong.

* * *

**Baird has went back to Azura, Marcus and Anya are getting married, Cole isn't sure what's going on, but he's hurting for his best friend. Life seems to be crashing down around Baird...**

**-The Breeding Program really consisted of Birthing Creches/Farms where women would be sent, forcibly impregnated, and then gave birth. Since this is Post-Apocalypse where almost everything is destroyed, they no longer exist.**

**-Alex Brand is a Delta Squad member who frequently gets into rows with Baird. In truth, I don't believe that they hold as much animosity towards each other as shown here, but when a man is in love, his emotions are haywire. As stated, she saved Baird from death once so he truly owes her his life...but that won't happen. ;D**

******-Sam's father-Sam Byrne-was given the option of staying with his bride-to-be when Avangad was being attacked. But he decided to be with the Gears which led to his death. This is in Gears of War: Anvil Gate. **

**-I made an oopsie. Baird is a Corporal, not a Private. So I fixed it. :X**


	5. Chapter 4: Trouble In Paradise

**We left off with Cole reading a letter that Marcus had. But he couldn't question Baird about it since Baird _just_ left to Azura, never looking back. What has Baird done this time?**

* * *

~***~*~Chapter 4: Trouble In Paradise~*~*~**

_**Island of Azura: Damon S. Baird's Quarters**_

_**Month of Harvest: One month later...**_

Streams of water dripped down his back in rivulets, masking the silent tears he cried to himself. Baird's forehead rest on the shower wall, both palms flat against it as the shower head beat water down upon him.

There was nothing he could do. All Marcus and Anya had to do was walk to the COG Registrar and they'd be man and wife. The very reminder tore him up inside.

It had been a month since his impromptu return to Azura. Chairman Hoffman had called him the next day to rage at him about his challenging his authority. Baird just explained that he thought he had made a breakthrough in the development of the generator, used some complicated jargon that didn't make sense (which Hoffman didn't know), and was pardoned. Simple as that.

Unfortunately, plenty of things _weren't_ that simple. Like his relationship, for example.

He bit his bottom lip and shut his eyes tight, trying to quell the fury building within him. He didn't want to think about it, but it was the _only_ thing he could think about.

He hadn't sent any letters to either Cole or Marcus although Cole had sent him quite a few. He didn't have the heart to write him back: Baird would ask all of the questions that he didn't want to ask and receive answers that he didn't want to know.

He felt that it was best as well as necessary to remove himself from the toxic situation that he found himself. So he left Cole's letters atop his dresser, unread and unopened.

Baird hadn't seen Anya around Azura either. It was obvious that she was busying herself in New Jacinto. Were they planning to have a huge wedding instead of a simple trip to the COG Headquarters? Or was she scurrying around the island making sure to stay out of his war path? He quickly pushed the thought of her out of his mind, because he could feel his blood slowly starting to boil.

He had thought he was past the point of feeling the way he felt. He had buried all of the pain in the deepest recesses of his heart and locked it away. But there were days when he relapsed, when the lock would break, and all of the feelings would pour out.

The smallest thing could bring reality rushing back at him: Marcus' COG tag around his neck and his letters to Baird that the blond had stashed away, a flower that Marcus had described to him, Marcus' favorite food—everything revolved around that man. And anything could force Baird to remember the inevitable: Marcus was no longer his.

The water was beginning to cool his skin as he opened his eyes, staring down at the COG tag he wore. He closed his fingers around it, feeling its cold touch. Marcus hadn't asked for it back yet. It was odd, that among everything that had happened—undoubtedly Marcus knew about his departure by now—that Marcus hadn't remembered to take it from him.

_I'll give it back to him. I don't want to be reminded of him..._

Turning off the shower, Baird threw a towel around his waist and headed into his bedroom. A loud knock on the door shook him from his depressed sulk. He didn't really want to answer it and was planning on ignoring when a voice floated to him.

"Sir, it's Levi." Baird closed his eyes and let out a slow breath. _This_ he couldn't ignore.

Over the past month, Levi had been there for Baird, although the man didn't know it. The night that Baird had returned to Azura, he had seen Levi resting on the beach, overlooking the ocean. He was drawn to him because he needed someone that he had bonded with to be there for him. With all of the information that he had just found out, he also needed to be with someone who would give a true sympathetic ear.

He didn't tell Levi anything about his true worries, but he just spoke with him. The doe-eyed young recruit listened intently to everything Baird had to say—his random thoughts about the Maelstrom as well as the fact that he had been asked to donate his seed—and it warmed Baird's ego to see the other man nearly worshiping him.

Levi's earnest made him forget about his troubles. And it's because of this feeling Levi gave him that Baird would seek him out when his thoughts returned to his dark problems.

"In a minute." He responded, surprisingly in a steady tone as he toweled himself off and dressed in black combat fatigues and a green wife-beater. Inhaling deeply, he opened the door.

Baird smirked as he looked down at the slender green-eyed man before him dressed in simple tan slacks and a white t-shirt, carrying a briefcase in one hand and a letter in the other. He stood back, holding the door open to allow Levi to pass, taking the letter from his hand.

Levi had taken to bringing Baird's mail to him since Baird had asked him a month back. He couldn't ever look at Anya the same way again and wanted nothing to do with her. Perhaps _this_ was the reason why he hadn't seen Anya? She didn't want to give him his mail?

"I've heard that you've taken to having your meals catered to your room." Levi said, setting the briefcase on the bed and opening it.

Baird cocked an eyebrow, seeing that Levi had brought another letter from Cole and tossing it onto the dresser with the others. "I haven't been feeling well. Have I committed a crime?"

The question was rhetorical, but Levi shook his head anyway. "I was wondering, if you hadn't eaten, if we could go grab lunch at the cafeteria. There are new figures as well as developments in Professor Fenix's reports that could help us develop the Maelstrom at a faster rate."

The mention of the name _Fenix_ threatened to pull Baird back into a distressed state, but he stopped his thoughts from going there, instead focusing closely on Levi and his words.

"I haven't eaten." He confessed, going to his drawers and picking out a pair of black socks. His hand brushed a small black bottle as he pulled them out and quickly shut the drawer as Levi approached him. He then searched for his combat boots. "So sure. What'd you have in mind?"

"There's a lobster dish on special today." Levi offered as he waited patiently for Baird to put them on.

He wet his lips unconsciously as he looked up to stare at Levi. "I don't remember the last time I actually had and _enjoyed_ lobster." He shook his head, sighing. "Do we _have_ to talk about work?"

A charming laugh passed Levi's lips which made a smile tug at the end of Baird's. "No." His eyes shone brightly. "But if the conversation stales, that's the first topic I'm bringing up."

Baird stood proudly, jeering. "I can talk your ear off, kid. _You _should know that."

Both headed out of the room and rode the elevator down to the main floor, stepping out into the Grand Entrance Hall. They continued on to the large dining room without a single break in conversation, Levi setting the folders on the table that they would return to before both headed to the get their food.

For some odd reason, Baird felt nearly content. He wasn't at all bothered with having someone follow him without being annoyed. He wasn't plagued by horrid thoughts of the past and could simply relax around Levi. He looked upon him as they both sat down with their food. For the first time, Baird felt a bit elated that Hoffman had forced Baird to mentor Levi.

A genuine laugh, that bewildered both Baird and Levi, came from deep within Baird as he watched Levi try and crack his lobster. It had been awhile since he had laughed like that. The smaller man blushed a deep red as Baird let an unforced smile cross his face, scooting his chair closer to Levi. He leaned towards him with his seafood scissors, showing him the proper way to open up the claw.

As he spoke, all of his ill feelings sitting deep in his heart and all of the nagging thoughts in the back of his head washed away. His tense muscles relaxed further and his taut jaw loosened. He didn't realize that he was enjoying himself.

Neither did he realize that he was being watched.

* * *

**_Gears Mess Hall, New Jacinto, Anvil Gate..._**

Cole shoveled down the slop that he had to call breakfast, keeping an uplifting view on it. If he didn't, he'd surely fall into despair like some of the men.

He half-heartedly listened to Carmine regale a story to Alex on his right, trying hard to get her attention. Poor man. He didn't realize that Alex wasn't into him.

He tried hard not to focus on his left where Marcus sat. The man hadn't touched any of his gruel. He just sat staring into it.

One month. It had been exactly _one_ month since Baird left without notice and Cole learned a few new things about his buddy that he _still_ couldn't believe.

Baird had told Cole that he wasn't interested in having children. Yet he was fathering one. Cole had chalked that up to Hoffman forcing him against his will somehow. He would ask his buddy the specifics when he wrote him back.

If Baird _ever_ wrote him back.

But the letter? _That_ was the most disturbing. It was out of character for Baird, something he was sure, Baird would _never_ do. But how could he justify it _not_ being true? Baird hadn't told Cole about the Breeding Program. It would stand to reason that there was more that he didn't tell Cole. And Baird's behavior _had_ been a little off when he came to New Jacinto...

Cole gave his head a small shake and swallowed hard. He needed to know something that was bothering him. But he'd be poking the bear if he did...The bear that hadn't shaved since Baird had left giving him a bit of a haggard look, his whiskers peppered with gray hairs.

"Marcus." He couldn't tell if the man heard him at all since he didn't react. But that didn't dissuade him. "Did you—Did you receive any letters from Baird?"

Silence. He did see Marcus slightly twitch a brow. Cole pressed on.

"He's said that he's sent letters to you. I was just wondering-"

"Have you received any?" It was so quiet that he almost didn't hear him. He tilted his head towards Marcus to hear him better.

"No, but—"

"Then he hasn't sent any." His voice sounded a bit annoyed, since Cole had asked him about something so blatantly obvious. Marcus had never received a letter from Baird _directly. _It had always been sent to Cole.

The Thrashball player brandished his head from side to side. "But _why_ would Baird lie about something so small? He had said that he sent letters to you."

"Like he hasn't lied about anything else." It was a simple statement, not a question that the man needed answered. And it was obvious by his body language that he didn't _want_ an answer. Marcus hadn't moved his body to direct his words towards Cole, only his eyes. And they held a treacherous look within them. It struck Cole that it was similar to what Baird's eyes were the night he left.

"He may have—_omitted—_the fact that he donated a piece of himself to a woman—" Cole started.

"You don't consider omission _lying_?" His brow was scarcely raised, his tone gravelly. "Fine. Then he didn't tell us about the goddamn letter. Everything he's told _me_ was a lie due to it."

Cole let out a slow breath. Baird was crazy over Marcus, he knew that much. And his actions when he found out and before he left just _proved _it. Then again, it could have all been a ruse. It could all have been an act.

_Could_ was the key word though. There was a possibility that it could _not_ be.

"Does Anya know about the letter?" _This_ was the question that he wanted to ask. _She_ had the most to gain from Baird's deteriorated relationship with Marcus. Perhaps she had something to do with it?

_Shame if its true_. He thought. _She was always one classy Lady..._ Marcus' words made Cole rethink his accusatory thoughts on Anya.

"Yeah." Marcus turned his eyes back to his slop of food, picking up the spoon and slowly moving it around within. "She kept defending him, worried about what he would say and feel about Hoffman pardoning us. I showed her the letter so she would realize..." His voice trailed off.

"Don't you want to talk to Damon and set this straight? At least see what he says?" It wasn't like Marcus to not follow up on what could _obviously_ be a set-up. Why was he so willing to believe it?

He huffed before he brought his eyes upon Cole's form once more. He bared his teeth a little, his eyes macabre. Before he could respond, a loud piercing siren split their ears. Marcus just flinched as Cole covered his ears.

Over the siren, Chairman Hoffman's voice could be heard. "Gears. Emergency situation at Azura Military Bunker. The following Squads are to report to the Helipad immediately."

Cole watched Marcus stand before Delta Squad had been called. His eyes glittered with mischief as he stared upon the Thrashball player.

"Looks like I'll get my chance." He muttered as _Delta Squad _came over the intercom.

Both men left their dishes where they were as they raced to the Helipad. Gray buildings seemed to pass by in a blur. Although the city was _far_ from looking like it used to, the leaves that changed color seemed to brighten it up.

Cole saw the determined look on Marcus' face, the Sergeant that took over whenever he was called to duty. On the outside, he looked strong, fearless, and moral. But Cole was one of the few who knew that this was a protective shell to encase the pain, angst, sadness, and anger of a man constantly being tortured with memories and his beliefs.

When they reached the Helipad, they saw weapon racks of guns were available for them so that they could grab the gun of their choice. There were armor racks as well. Men and women quickly donned their armor, a gust of different colored leaves blowing around them as they were briefed about the threat on Azura.

Cole caught Marcus silently watching as a single petal settled on his shoulder, a forlorn look on his face. Having grabbed a Hammerburst and a Lancer, he slung the guns over his shoulders and watched as he red petal flew off of him. His eyes were silently trained on it as the wind blew it away, his head turned a little to the side so that he could keep an ear on Hoffman.

The petal reminded Cole of Baird's visit around the same time a year before. Delta had been sent to search for alternative as well as additional food and fuel sources. The team had found themselves in a forest and had split up into teams of two, Cole branching off with Anya. It wasn't long when they found a water source as well as an Imulsion puddle. Since the Countermeasure deployed by Adam Fenix had killed off any lambent cells, the Imulsion was no longer a living organism: it was merely fuel, highly volatile, easily refined, and essential.

Anya had tried reaching Baird and Marcus through the comm link, but their signal was blocked. Cole had offered to go catch up with them to ensure that Anya wouldn't be privy to any hurtful reminders. He backtracked the way Anya and he had trodden and came upon Marcus and Baird relatively soon. When he saw them, Cole couldn't—nor would he dare to—interrupt.

He had found the lovers holding each other close, intertwined in a deep desirous kiss as a cool wind kicked up to make the colorful leaves swirl about them. When they both broke apart to breathe, both men were staring intensely into each other's eyes. There was no denying the genuine devotion in the eyes of both men for and to each other.

It was an idealistic expression of pure love that he wouldn't ever forget. And he wondered if that was what Marcus was thinking about as his eyes still lay on the petal that had fallen onto the ground. Cole saw a slight wince from Marcus as Carmine stepped onto the leaf while heading towards a Raven.

Having the memory in mind just reinforced his beliefs that Baird was in the right. He said nothing else to Marcus as they both jumped onto the first Raven with Carmine, Alex, Bernadette Mataki, and Samantha Byrne. Cole kept his face neutral as the Raven rose in the air, focusing on not puking.

It was obvious that he and Baird had been the last to know about Marcus and Anya. Marcus and Anya didn't have to tell him _anything_. It was their business and not his. But they knew that if Cole had been told, he would have immediately taken the information to Baird. And Baird would have reacted just as he had. Due to this logical linear thought, he was sure that was why they—or perhaps Marcus—didn't want Cole to be told until the end.

Sam had refrained from telling anyone since, he was sure, she was told by Anya. Cole had questioned her when he had returned to the tavern after Baird's departure. Sam had just arrived. She had told him that she was shocked and didn't know what to say when Anya told her. Sam had seen the love that Baird had for Marcus so it didn't make any sense for Marcus to hurt him that way. It was obvious, by her reaction, that Sam had not seen the letter.

She further explained that she hadn't told Cole because she didn't want to bare the bad news to him, which would ultimately lead to Baird. As much as Baird annoyed the hell out of her, she didn't want to truly cause him such pain.

Bernie had found out the night that Baird had found out. She had successfully pulled the information from a marginally drunk Hoffman which, she had told Cole, nearly made her try to convince Hoffman to go back on his word. But in order for her to convince her lover, she'd have to reveal information about Baird and Marcus. She had spent her time in devising a way for the proceedings to not go as planned. She was still at a loss of what to do.

That just left Dizzy Wallen, Jace Stratton, Clayton Carmine, and Alex Brand. Cole had no knowledge if the former three members actually _knew_ about the marriage, but it was obvious that Alex did. It was also a known fact that none of them knew the true nature of Baird and Marcus' relationship.

_So what?_ He thought, closing his eyes. _So I was the last to know. That doesn't mean that they didn't trust me. That just meant that they wanted to keep Baird from knowing as long as possible. But _why _didn't they want him to know__ is what I don't get. Was it to hurt him more? Or was it because they _didn't_ want to hurt him?_

The former scenario would entail a purposeful exclusion of Baird from being privy to the information that they were engaged until an appropriate and hurtful time to tell him. But it would then make sense that _Cole_ would be excluded as well unless if Cole or someone else was used to tell Baird the news after everyone knew.

The "someone else" had been Alex. Whether she had done it on purpose or to truly inform Baird, Cole didn't know. But if she _had_ done it on purpose, she would have had to know—at least a little bit—of the intimacy between Marcus and Baird. _And_, he wondered, _who would have told Alex about Marcus and him? Anya? Would she _really_ sacrifice her relationship with Marcus by doing that?_

The latter scenario would have resulted in _no one_ except the two involved knowing about the engagement. The less people that knew, the less likely the news would get to Baird. Cole opened his eyes and found himself staring straight into Marcus' cold icy ones. Who had Marcus told?

The answer was in his gaunt tight-lipped expression and his demeanor when Cole had asked him if their upcoming marriage was true: No one. Marcus had told no one.

No matter _what_ the man said overtly, he was still truly in love with the man who escaped to Azura. Marcus had been speaking out of hurt, Cole could guess. And it was his right. But was _the letter_ enough to force Marcus into marriage with a woman he wasn't in love with? Especially if he didn't know if it was true or not?

If Marcus _was_ willing to do that just to hurt Baird, wouldn't it make sense that he would allow the truth about the marriage between Anya and him to be told _without_ stopping it? When Cole had inquired to him about it, Marcus had only asked if _everyone_ knew...but that didn't mean that he _didn't_ want people to know. He may have alluded as such, but what if his true intentions were darker: he wanted more people to be told so that it would be an additional stab in Baird's heart every time the words passed another person's lips near him.

Also, Marcus could have told Anya to refrain from telling anyone. But he didn't since Anya had told Sam. If Marcus had stopped her, Anya would have obeyed due to Marcus being important to her and Sam wouldn't have known. Marcus could have gambled with the fact that Sam and Baird would have found themselves in another argument and Sam would slip the information about the engagement to Baird just as she had slipped to him that she _knew_ about Baird's relationship with Marcus.

Furthermore...Marcus could have found a way to back out of Hoffman's pardon. He didn't have to _accept_ the Chairman's terms. He could have simply said that he wasn't in love with Anya. Why didn't he?

Cole shook his head as Marcus turned his eyes to look out at the passing scenery. He didn't even _want_ to begin analyzing Anya's actions. She was genteel. She wouldn't debase herself to manipulate situations in her favor...would she? Especially with her lover of fifteen years in the middle. He could see how her actions could be interpreted either way, but she _was_ a woman.

She would be naturally excited about the marriage, especially due to the fact that she'd be with the lover that she'd always wanted. So she ran to tell her friend that she always confided in.

He was sure that Sam would have reminded Anya about the situation between Marcus and Baird...which would have dampened her spirits. What kind of woman would marry a man that wasn't truly in love with her?

Anya also would have told Alex since they were a bit close as well. And Alex would have definitely been more supportive than Sam. But it stands to reason that Alex would be as such if she _didn't_ know about Baird and Marcus.

Or if Alex_ did_ know about them and just loved how Baird was going to be torn apart.

So much speculation...

"Approaching Azura, kiddos." Gettner called to them.

Cole's eyes widened a bit when he realized that he hadn't paid attention the briefing. He was so focused on his thoughts consuming Marcus and Baird...and the inevitable chance that they'd see each other again. He didn't even know the threat.

"Alright." Marcus said as if he had read Cole's mind. "We have a fleet of six trawlers making their way to Azura. Lyle Ollivar's leading. It's obvious that he wants something. "

His eyes moved to each person as he spoke. "Brand and Carmine, head to Hoffman. Cole and I will meet you with him. We're going to greet Lyle when he makes shore. Bernie and Sam, meet with Anya. She'll be in the Alcanthus. She's more than likely trying to set up the Hammer of Dawn. We don't want to use it, but we can't lose any more soldiers than we have."

Everyone nodded in agreement except Carmine as the Raven circled the beach, so that it'd have a clear path. "Wait, what about Baird?" A tense silence ensued as the helmeted goliath stared around the Raven.

Marcus did a small roll of his neck to show he was annoyed, then cast dark eyes upon Carmine. "He knows his place." was all he said.

Cole looked away from the Gears in the Raven and settled his gaze on the Gears on the beach. He wanted to catch a glimpse of the shocking blonde hair before anyone else did, he didn't know why. He caught sight of it, but it wasn't who he was looking for. Anya was waiting for the Raven to set down.

"I'll drop you guys off behind the others." Gettner said as she lowered the Raven.

They were quite a ways away from the group on the beach. Everyone readied themselves for the exit, Bernie and Sam going first so that they could reach Anya. Carmine and Alex jumped from the opposite side so that they could head towards Hoffman.

When Cole's boots hit the sand, he found that he was proud of himself for not puking, though he attributed it to his mind being more busy than his stomach. Marcus landed beside him and they both headed away from the departing Raven at an easy jog towards Anya.

Bernie and Sam then headed towards the Alcanthus as Anya approached Marcus and Cole.

"I've sent them to seek out the Hammer of Dawn targeting laser just inside of the Alcanthus." she explained without any provocation. "I really hope we don't need it."

"We don't need to destroy anything else." Cole guffawed, although his heart wasn't in it. Her next statement made him frown heavily.

"As long as Baird isn't handling it like Vectes, then nothing should be." Anya said with a slight smile, but it was quickly gone. "Oh god, Marcus. Sorry..." All Marcus did was give a subtle shake of his head to show that he understood what she meant.

The expression on his face was neutral, but his eyes spoke volumes. He wanted to inquire, yet he didn't want to give away what he was feeling. Once more, Anya volunteered.

She looked away from him as she whispered. "The letter...Marcus...it's true." Cole watched his eyes grow wide. "I've seen him. _Everyone's _seen them. They eat dinner together. They work closely together. They've been seen on the beach after hours together. I'm so sorry. I wish it wasn't true..."

"No. This can't be right, Anya—" Cole began as Anya's eyes turned upon him sadly.

"Enough." Marcus growled in his husky voice, his gaze traveling from Cole to Anya and back. "It doesn't matter right now. Let's head to Hoffman and we can deal with this afterwards."

Anya nodded as she backed away from them. "I'll go meet up with Sam and Bernie."

Cole agreed, turning towards Marcus. "Yeah, man. 'Cause something ain't right." They both headed towards the group of Gears in front of them, quickening their pace as they walked, holding a gun with both hands.

His head now focused on the task at hand, Cole was about to ask Marcus for more information about Ollivar when the man ahead of him suddenly stopped. Cole halted just in time to keep himself from running into the Sergeant. Peering at Marcus' face made him take a conscious step back.

Marcus' face had turned into a snarl, his eyes mere slits as they held deadly animosity within them, the scar his face moving in tandem with his tight face muscles. He looked like he was about kill and was simply out for blood. Cole felt horrible for the person who was on the receiving end. When he realized that he was transfixed upon Marcus' transformation, he slightly shook his head and chanced a glance at the direction Marcus was facing. His mouth slacked a bit.

Baird was there, less than ten feet in front of them. He was talking to another blonde, gripping his Gnasher in front of him. But it wasn't just that.

He was _laughing_.

He was calm.

He was _relaxed_.

And that was a _much_ different Baird than the man that had left a month ago. The same Baird who hadn't written him...The same man who had told Cole with his eyes that he was in love with Marcus...

Seeing this hurt Cole more than words could express. And he felt himself slipping back into the thoughts that perhaps Baird _wasn't_ as innocent as he seemed to be. He made sure that his feelings were expressed in his eyes as Baird tossed a look their way and recognized them.

But the blood didn't drain from his face, Cole saw in alarm. The color in his face _deepened_.

_Oh shit..._He thought. _Something's about to go down...  
_

* * *

**Uh oh! Baird and Marcus are about to meet each other for the _first_ time since all of the drama happened. And Cole has a front-row seat...**

**The only thing that I think some people may wonder about is what Anya said about Baird and the Hammer of Dawn. In one of the novels, Jacinto's Remnant I believe, Baird had to take control of the Hammer of Dawn to kill a mini-Leviathan. He blew up parts of the beach. :)**


	6. Chapter 5: Unsettling Revelations

**Marcus and Baird are about to come face to face and _speak_ to each other for the first time in _months_! This may or may not bode well for either of them...**

* * *

**~*~*~Chapter 5: Unsettling Revelations~*~*~**

All of his common sense was erased when he saw Marcus. Baird stopped listening to anything that Levi was telling him, all of his anger and hurt returning. The other man was staring at him, a deathly look on his face. He had stretched to his full height, body expanding while his features tightened.

Baird could feel his body reacting similarly, his eyes narrowing and the skin over his jaw tight. His nostrils flared at the fact that this _behemoth _had the nerve to stare at _him_ that way. What the fuck did Baird _ever_ do to him? And after Baird _left_ New Jacinto so that he could keep from hating the man! This asshole was _sure_ making it hard for him not to do so...

Before he knew what he was doing, he found his legs working on their own accord, heading over to Marcus. Everything within him screamed for him to stop and turn away, but his body seemed to involuntarily react to Marcus: it was as if Marcus was a magnet, forcibly pulling Baird towards him. The larger man stood tall and imposing, a mean scowl on his face as Baird approached him and stopped a few feet away, eyes only seeing him and nothing else.

"Baird. What's happening?" The blond engineer could hear Cole's voice, but it sounded very far away although he saw in his field of vision that the man was standing next to him. His main focal point was Marcus though. It was odd though. Cole sounded a bit...angry and resentful.

"Isn't it obvious?" He whispered, incensed eyes never leaving Marcus' brutal ones. "This jackass is getting married."

A cacophony of noise erupted then and all three men ignored the crowd of Gears calling out a chant.

With his lips pulled thin, Marcus breathed heavily through his nose. "Congratulations. Heard you might be a father."

Baird gripped his gun tighter, clenching his teeth. How did he know?! _It's not like he wouldn't have done the same thing..._he reminded himself as he tilted his head a bit upwards in a show of cockiness. "I would have told you. But I wouldn't want to disturb you while you're busy with your wedding and all."

Marcus' fists were balled tightly from what Baird could see in his peripherals. "I would have told you about the wedding if I didn't know that you were busy with someone else."

It was a battle of the egos, one that Baird _rarely_ lost. A simple tactic to win was throwing the opponent off-guard and then attacking them where they were most vulnerable. Baird could feel his defenses weakening as confusion overtook his eyes. Unfortunately, Baird was losing...

He stared at his livid Sergeant for a few moments, thoughts jumbled, then said in a hoarse quiet voice, "Fuck you, Marcus. I haven't _ever_ been with anyone but you." His anger was returning.

"You sure?" Marcus' hard voice made him shiver with fury as he felt a stabbing pain in his heart. The man didn't trust him—that hurt. What had happened? Why the fuck would Marcus think he was cheating?! And with _who_? Baird was a lot of things, but a liar was not one. "Who's that?" He motioned with his head-which was an easy lifting of his chin-to the person behind Baird, eyes still on him.

Baird didn't have to look behind him to see who his lover—should he still call him that?—was mentioning. But he tossed a look over his shoulder to see a bewildered Levi staring after him. At least the kid had enough sense to stay put.

"A rook that I'm teaching the ropes." He snapped, turning back to Marcus, sliding the Gnasher onto his shoulder. "You do remember what that is, right? I mean, you _did_ have Benjamin Carmine."

Something crackled in Baird's ear and he tore it off in a fit of frustration, throwing it on the ground. "So what are you getting at?" He continued, stepping closer to the Sergeant until the tips of their noses were touching.

"Hey man-" Cole began and Baird put up a hand to stop him.

"No, Cole. I want to see what he has to say." His eyes were still trained upon Marcus, waiting for his response. Icy eyes stared back at him. "Well..spit it out. Or are you too afraid to admit _anything_ in front of people?"

A flash of agony appeared in Marcus' eyes and disappeared as quickly as it had come. It told Baird that what Marcus had said, he truly _believed_. But why? What would make Marcus think that Baird had been unfaithful to him? And whatever it was hurt him so much that he had decided to marry Anya?

The small bit of pain he had seen also told him that Baird's words has scarred him a little. No man wanted his confidence questioned. It made him look weak...

…._So he still cares..._ Baird thought, his heart jumping. _In a convoluted twisted way, he still cares about me. Even though he's trying to hurt me back...__and I'm trying to do the same to him..._

He could feel his wall of defense falling away further as he let his honest feelings seep into his eyes: the affliction he felt from being away from his lover and what he'd learned, the sadness that always encompassed him since he couldn't express his emotions openly to Marcus for fear of repercussions, and the love he'd forever feel for him no matter what happened...And it was this love that made him realize that no matter what Marcus did, he'd never hate him.

Unrequited love was the worst...

Baird waited a bit impatiently for his Sergeant's words, not aware of the Gears, Cole, or anything else. When Marcus finally spoke, the warm blood in his veins ran cold.

"It doesn't matter, Damon."

He swallowed hard, his eyes widening. "What do you mean _it doesn't matter_?" He responded, his voice not at a controlled level anymore. Baird finally took in Cole's form and watched his friend avoid his eyes. His stomach twisted in knots. _Cole_ too?! _Cole_ believed the lies about him! Baird hadn't written him letters, that's true, but due to such a simple act _Cole_ was willing to believe the false accusations? "Of _course_ it matters!"

"Not anymore." he muttered.

Everything felt numb to Baird. His eyes were still on Cole, trying to find out what had made his buddy change towards him. The only thing he could think of was the letters. But there was a _reason_ for that: It's not that he didn't _want_ to write Cole back, Baird _couldn't _write Cole back. If Baird had, he would have had to read about Marcus and Anya, and Baird would have asked questions that he _didn't_ want answers to and couldn't handle currently. Couldn't Cole understand that without Baird having to tell him?

And Marcus...he couldn't fathom why the man was treating him so coldly. _Baird_ had the true reason to be offended. His lover was getting _married_ to someone that wasn't _him_. _Marcus_ hadn't sent Baird _any_ letters detailing about it. And now Marcus' accusations did nothing except make him furious.

A flash of heat surged throughout Baird's body and into his eyes, igniting them with a dangerous flame. His rage was renewed.

He was slowly losing control of his emotions and rationale. Marcus didn't _care_? They had been in a five year relationship and the man was willing to throw it away based off of hearsay? Or was it more than that?

Baird had given this monstrous motherfucker his anal cherry, shared his most intimate moments with him, and allowed him within the walls of his ironclad heart...just so his suspicions that he had to constantly repress were proven correct? That Marcus had been using him all along and was now trying to get _rid_ of him for _his own selfish fucking reasons_?! His paranoia was _right?_

_But...but his eyes...You can't fake that kind of emotion through your eyes, can you? _Can _you?!_

He didn't notice as his right hand slowly curled into a fist. His eyes were still on the older man's who had _used_ him—his body, his mind, and his soul—for his pure entertainment.

Baird had thought Marcus had loved him. He had thought that when they were making-love...it was just that. When Marcus whispered that he didn't want anyone else, making Baird feel as if he was the only one that would ever have that man, Baird had thought he was telling him the truth. Even though there was always a little bit of his conscience that told him that he was living in a delusion...that he would taste a bit of an illusion before the grim reality set upon him again.

And it turned out to be right.

Baird _knew_ that it was too good to be true. When had _anything_ gone right in his life? When had he _not_ been coerced or something forcibly taken away from him?

His parents wanted him to serve in the military, forcing him to do so or he wouldn't get his inheritance. His past relationships had always been disastrous and he had a horrible track-record with women. He barely kept people in his life long enough to call them friends. Marcus and Cole-hell, even _Delta_-had given Baird a taste of happiness that he thought he had never been good enough to deserve since his life was basically shit. Now, those people were being taken away from him as well.

At that point in thought, Baird snapped. He thought of nothing, felt nothing, heard nothing as he brought his right fist to connect with Marcus' jaw.

He saw the surprise on his face at the unexpected sucker-punch, snapping Marcus' head hard to the right. The man didn't even stumble on the sand...as he hadn't before in the showers.

Baird heard loud exclamations near him and a tug at his shoulder, but ignored it. His eyes were trained on Marcus, whose lip he had split. A trickle of blood rand down his chin as Marcus slowly moved his head to align with Baird's.

There were emotions swirling in the older man's eyes, but Baird couldn't decipher them. They seemed to be ever-changing. But his voice was steady and stiff.

"That make you feel better?" was all he said.

No reaction? No show of emotion? No jab back at him?

Baird gritted his teeth so that he wouldn't let out a soft sob. He allowed Marcus to see the anguish and anger in his eyes. _He_ could still feel emotions for Marcus even though Marcus felt nothing for him. And there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. He wished he had an off switch for the feelings that he had for him. Baird wouldn't have lashed out like that then.

_I guess I was wrong. He _doesn't_ care about me..._

"No." He seethed, flexing his fingers. The punch had been painful, but not as painful to erase the pain in his heart. "I wish it did. And I wish I could hate you for _fuck-ing_ _use-ing_ _me_ for the past five years. But I can't."

He watched Marcus wipe away the blood with his thumb. "I won't ever forgive you though." He finished, backing away. "I fucking swear it."

He turned away from his ex-lover and Cole, ignoring his buddy's words—he couldn't make them out anyway—and sauntered towards an extremely pale Levi, feeling completely dead inside. He took hold of one of his shoulders, steering him towards the group of Gears.

"Don't worry about it." Baird whispered to him as the throng of Gears cheered once more. "I was just tying up some loose ends."

* * *

_**A few hours later...**_

Baird exited the elevator and slowly made his way to his room, running his fingers through his hair, a bit distressed.

He couldn't believe that he had assaulted Marcus. _Again_. What was odd was that the man _didn't_ react as Baird thought he would. Baird had, at the very least, expected some sort of charge to be brought against him. Then again, Marcus wasn't a pussy like that. He personally took care of his own problems.

Chuckling to himself, he shook his head. Of _course_ he wouldn't react. He was in the midst of people. He couldn't let his temper flare when he had to _pretend _to be the model citizen: an example for everyone to follow.

_Here I am, making excuses for him again._ Baird sighed. _He's done impulsive things in the past like the kiss we shared when we came out to Bernie. But he didn't react against a _punch_? Stop being a sap. He doesn't care. Probably never did. He just pretended to care._

_...Fuck. Did he come out to certain people so he would have leverage against me?_

And the dick had been using him for years to simply go back to the bitch that he had left in the _first place_.

_They deserve each other._ He thought. _She was stupid enough to take him back after he left her. _Even as he thought it, he knew that he didn't truly mean it. He still wanted the Sergeant to call his own.

Just in case if Marcus _had_ been getting second thoughts to wrangle him, Baird made sure to steer clear of him as Lyle Ollivar landed and spoke with Hoffman. He was close enough to hear the conversation since the wind carried it, but he was safely lost amid the sea of Gears so that Marcus—who slowly surveyed the throng—wouldn't see him. Lyle Ollivar had wanted Imulsion and Hoffman had none to offer.

He sighed. All he wanted was answers which is what he tried so desperately to make himself believe. But he knew that wasn't true either.

All that Baird wanted to do was to physically or mentally injure Marcus for mutilating his heart and proving his paranoia true. People whose paranoid issues are justified and proven correct tend to have an _increase_ of paranoia in other aspects-or within the same area-in their life. Baird was going to suffer increased spouts of paranoia.

And although Baird had physically hurt Marcus a bit-he was sure because his knuckles were bruised-it hadn't been enough to show the man what kind of fucked up mess he had left Baird to stew in. He wanted to pummel his face in-though Marcus would have _definitely_ reacted to defend himself then-, but he also wanted that same man to hold him, fuck him senseless, and never let him go.

His heart felt sick. What kind of fucked up shit were these feelings? _Love, unfortunately... _he thought morosely.

As Baird reached his door, he raised an eyebrow, amused to see that it was scarcely open. He knew he hadn't left as such. He hadn't been back to his room since he went to lunch with Levi. When the threat had blared through the loudspeakers across Azura, Baird had just grabbed spare equipment and guns in the storage room on the first floor since it was much closer than going back to his room. So who had been in it? Or, rather, was someone _still_ in it?

Pushing open the door fully, he stepped in, flicking the switch next to him so that his room would be flooded with light...and a small smile appeared on his face.

Baird looked around at the mess. Broken lamp shards were strewn across the room. There was a hole in the wall to his right. His bed was overturned, the sheets torn off. The nightstands were broken beyond repair—the place was a mess.

In the center of it all was Marcus, sitting upon his bare mattress. His feet was firmly planted on the floor, his guns by his feet. His elbows rested on his knees as his fingers were clasped together under his nose. There were papers all about him on the bed along with his chest plate armor.

So Baird _wasn't _making excuses for him. Marcus _had_ reacted, just not in front of people. It made sense: the Sergeant could lose his status.

Baird entered the room, shutting the door and leaning against it. He could see that the other man was trying to ignore his existence as he set his gun atop the surprisingly unscathed dresser from what he could see.

He knew Marcus was destructive...but he usually was able to control himself. He _did_ control himself around other people. But this reaction towards Baird seemed to show a lack of control...just as when Marcus had held Baird close on Alcanthus three months prior. And Baird had thought that Marcus was being impulsive on purpose.

Maybe the man _was_ losing his sense of control. Maybe Marcus couldn't control himself properly when he was alone. It must be exhausting to put up a continuous strong front around people and do the same alone with a few others. It could wear someone down.

_What if..._Baird thought, a sense of dread growing and intermingling with a sense of adoration. _What if...I'm _completely _wrong? And this dipshit _does_ care?_

He didn't let himself stay on this train of thought for long, instead scanning the room once more, his smile growing. "The current state of this room reminds of my life right now. How did you know that I was going to remodel it _this_ exact way?"

Marcus' eyes slowly closed. It was obvious that he was trying to curb any emotions that would make him lash out once more. But Baird _wanted_ that. He _wanted _ to fuck with Marcus to show him how much the man had hurt him.

Picking his way through the mess, Baird stood in front of Marcus, hands on his hips. "How's your lip?"

He watched with mischievous glee as Marcus opened his eyes and stared up at him. It was obvious, wasn't it? Baird was picking a fight. It would unleash all of their pent-up feelings. And they could then talk afterwards.

That's how men solved problems. They fought and then got along. He didn't know how well they'd get along though...

Marcus slowly stood up. Baird's heart was racing and he was mentally preparing himself for a beating, but he was ready for it.

"It's better." His voice dripped with poison. "How's yours?"

It was a split second transformation. The expressionless face on Marcus morphed into a menacing scowl, his teeth bared as his left fist connected to Baird's face.

The force of the punch pushed nearly made Baird buckled to the floor. He stumbled back into his dresser, hitting the mirror attached to it, a metallic taste filling his mouth. Small chunks of glass fell around him. As he turned about, setting both hands on the dresser, he realized that the mirror attached to his dresser was smashed. Did that _just_ happen? Or did Marcus do it?_  
_

Baird brought shaky fingers to his lips, his mind dizzy. His face was pounding with excruciating pain. He knew Marcus' fist would hurt, but he didn't expect it to disorient him, more or less nearly knock him out! He had been playing with fire, he knew, assaulting a man with as volatile a temper as Marcus'.

But Baird didn't matter to him, right? _It doesn't matter, Damon...Not anymore. _Marcus was speaking about their relationship and how it no longer existed.

And Baird was hurting because of that. How could Baird's feelings about the whole situation _not_ matter? Because of Marcus' cruel words, Baird wanted to show Marcus just how _much_ Baird was hurting by way of physical impact: through his bodily pain, Marcus would feel _exactly_ how Baird's heart felt.

Yet, what of Marcus' punch? Was it a simple retaliation or was it to show _Baird_ how much he'd hurt him? The former had to be true, since Baird hadn't done _anything_ to Marcus..except hit him and the sperm donation. If those circumstances _did_ hurt Marcus emotionally, then Baird misjudged just how deeply Marcus felt.

_He bottles everything up inside._ He thought. _I freely express myself in many ways. It makes _sense _that all of his hurt and misery would run deeper than mine..._Baird swung his head from side to side, groaning at the action while trying to clear his mind from plaguing thoughts. He was trying to defend Marcus again...

It hurt to move. It hurt to think. The throbbing pain was no longer only located in his jaw. The intensity of the blow had caused him to get a minor headache. He looked down onto his fingers so he could focus on anything instead of his thoughts. His mind went blank and he felt nothing as he saw that there was blood on them.

It should have scared him. He was susceptible to diseases with an open wound. He _avoided_ confrontational situations just for that exact reason. He stayed to himself so that no one _would_ have a reason to pick a fight with him. Even though he undertook risky endeavors whenever he gave himself willingly to Marcus, he hadn't ever swapped anything as dangerous as blood with the man. But at that moment, he didn't care.

Baird cast his eyes onto his form in the mirror, trying to figure out what he was feeling and how he'd look in the morning. Marcus had socked him good: there was a smear of blood from the corner of his mouth from where he had touched it, but it was being covered by the crawling stream of blood. He licked the inside of his mouth where the blood vessels had burst. He didn't like the feeling as if his mouth was full of blood-

That was when Baird noticed Marcus in the mirror, his face still threatening and formidable. It caused Baird's heart to skip a beat and he instantly began to feel his skin heating up, his blood starting to simmer, and the dulling ache in his head caused by the punch to intensify.

A bloody spit wad covered Marcus' face in the mirror and a corrupt smirk covered Baird's face. He slowly turned, hands gripping the edge of the dresser, so that he would face Marcus again, wiping the blood off of his face with the back of his hand. Marcus had seen the action in the mirror, his lips shut tight and his fists balled. Baird had enjoyed watching his eyes open a bit from the action. The man was perceptive and would most certainly know what was coming next.

As quick as he could, Baird pushed away from the dresser, lunging towards Marcus. The older man had calculated that he would. Marcus simply side-stepped him. Baird could see Marcus readying his fist and as the older man brought it into the flesh of Baird's stomach, Baird shot out his leg to kick behind Marcus' knees.

All breath was forced from Baird's body as the fist connected, forcing him to bowl over onto the bed, sending the papers on it to jump into the air. He forced his conscious mind to not register the pain that his body exploded in as he watched, out of the corners of his eyes, Marcus's twist to try and remove his forearm from Baird as he landed on top of him, the papers settling on both of them.

Baird didn't think he had had any air left in him, but the rest rushed out as he felt Marcus' full weight pressing him into the mattress. He could feel the heavier man's nose pressed against his right shoulder and hear the heavier man's soft breaths as he tried to flex his fingers against Baird's stomach. He felt Marcus' chest rise and fall against his back and slowly realized that their heartbeats were in tandem: fast and rhythmic.

It had been far too long since Baird had felt Marcus against him like this...

Baird managed to shift himself to a more comfortable position from underneath Marcus, his body eventually being splayed out on the mattress. He beared down on the man's arm in order for Marcus to roll off of his body, to _stop_ moving his fingers—they were scurrying against him—or to do _both_. He could feel his trousers tightening.

The two men were _fighting._ There was nothing erotic about that.

After a few minutes, it became more than obvious that Marcus had no want of getting off of him as Baird let up on pushing his body—with what little energy it had left—against his arm. Marcus was in the perfect position to knock Baird senseless. Even though the man was trapped beneath him, he could easily use his other arm to give Baird a few punches.

It was a few minutes later that Baird realized how unnaturally quiet everything was. Marcus heart could be felt through the cotton wife-beater, but not as strong as before. His breathing had slowed down and his nose no longer pressed against him... He was waiting. But for what? Every second that passed allowed both men to regain their strength, but Marcus certainly had more stamina. Was he waiting for Baird to make the first move against him?

Faintly wondering if he should turn to face Marcus and glare into those intense blue eyes, it all became clear as Baird suddenly felt a sharp twinge of pain in his abdominal area. It made him throw his head back, catching Marcus' temple as he cried out. Marcus' fingers had been busy trying to lift up Baird's shirt so that Marcus could sink his fingernails into Baird's flesh.

Baird dug his nails into the mattress as he pushed his back against Marcus' chest, trying to lift himself up enough so that he could get force the man's hand away. As much as he tried, neither body moved. He breathed hard as he felt Marcus slowly claw his fingers across his skin, trembling against him uncontrollably.

The problem wasn't that it was hurting him although he knew that he was going to have light scratches on his belly. Baird was getting more turned on due to his heightened senses-a body pressed against him, warm breaths on his neck, feeling the outline of Marcus' cock through his pants-and that couldn't happen. There was also _no way_ that he would allow Marcus to pull him back into the vulnerable state that he had existed for five years. He wouldn't give himself up to the man that had used him, no matter how every single touch of his singed his skin with desire.

No matter how badly he wanted him.

No matter how long he had gone without his quiet affectionate lovemaking.

No matter how much he loved him...this could no longer happen.

Marcus let that be known to him earlier: nothing mattered anymore. So _why_ was this happening to Baird again?

In an attempt to get Marcus to stop (why hadn't the man just punched him senseless instead of dragging his nails across his flesh, he wondered), Baird wiggled enough underneath the colossal body to where he had enough room to throw his right elbow back hard into Marcus' ribs. He immediately felt Marcus' fingers go limp and the pressure of his body diminish.

He was able twist his body around and came face to face with a vicious animal. His breathing was a little wheezy due to his ribs being sore, Baird knew, but he was still powerful enough to overtake him. Trying to force a look of nonchalance in his eyes and jeer on his face failed. Baird was only successful at revealing the torment that he was feeling about Marcus.

That was great. Baird could no longer hide his feelings for the man...which would mean that he would be unable to do so in public. Fuck. He really _was_ a sucker...

He tried to turn his face away, but Marcus' hand caught his jaw, forcing him to look at him. The beast within his eyes seemed to calm, his fury slowly being replaced by an irrevocable sadness.

"I shouldn't have punched you." The words slipped out in a voice that Baird was sure wasn't his. "But...I didn't know any other way to tell you how fucked up I feel about all of this."

His teeth gritting due to the pain he felt, Marcus moved off Baird to sit next to him. He hadn't seemed to notice Baird's hard-on that as pressed against his stomach—that was good, at least.

"And you couldn't _talk_?" He muttered, eyes closed. Baird could tell that he was still in pain due to how he shifted his body gently.

Baird sighed, sitting up, his arm pressed against the man. His jaw was sore as he gingerly rubbed it. It wasn't swelling and he was content with that. His headache was ebbing and his thoughts were clearing from the emotionally tumultuous state he was in.

"Weren't you there?" He pouted, looking at him sideways. The man's eyes were still closed. "I _tried. _And then you said that '_It doesn't matter_' which set me off." Marcus's opened his eyes and stared at him after hearing Baird's mocking tone. "This is all of your fault anyway."

The older man was quiet for a moment, silently watching him. Baird fidgeted uncomfortably for a few spells, waiting for the man to speak. It took him a bit to realize that Marcus was waiting on an explanation of why Baird blamed _him_ for everything. He breathed hard through his nose before he began.

"Everything I'm feeling, everything that's happened—it's _your_ damn fault, Marcus." He repeated. "I have never felt so alive and happier _ever_ than when I was with you. But I've also never felt so depressed, hurt, fucking _impulsive_, lost...I don't what else to say..._crazy_...then when you weren't by me. And when I heard about all the shit that you did."

As hard as he tried, he couldn't stop the anguish from filling his eyes once more. "Fuck. I've never felt love before, Marcus. More or less been _in_ it. You gave me that and I never wanted to give it up. I should have known better than to trust something that's too good to be true."

Baird forced himself to turn away from the other man's scalding eyes. They seemed to burrow within him, bringing his hidden desires and repressed emotions from the deepest of his being when Baird couldn't tap into _Marcus'_ inner being.

It was wholly unfair.

He heard Marcus clear his throat, something he did when he was uncomfortable or when he wanted to get others to pay attention. It was possibly both in this instance.

When Marcus didn't offer any words, Baird chanced a glance at him. A contortion of pain was on his face which Marcus wouldn't _ever_ show to people due to the fact that it made him look weak in front of others. The blow to his ribs must have _really_ hurt him. Or maybe he was opening up...

It pissed Baird off that Marcus hid himself away so people would have a certain opinion of him and was about to open his mouth to tell him so, when he stopped. He didn't want to be roughed again—even in a weakened stated, Marcus could take him—so he stood and disappeared into the bathroom, returning with a small jar. Hesitating for a moment, Baird proceeded to kneel in front of the man.

Marcus' line of sight was on him the whole time, not uttering anything but labored breathing. Baird carefully avoided his gaze as he spoke, unscrewing the jar. "Take off your shirt." He said softly, unscrewing the cap off the jar. When Marcus didn't comply, Baird set the jar next to him, clenching his teeth together to gather up courage to look into the man's eyes.

Marcus' stare seemed questionable, watching Baird curiously. He was back in control of his emotions, Baird noticed, feeling a bit elated that the blond was the reason that made Marcus lose it in the first place. When he made no move to do his demand, Baird grabbed the bottom of his muscle-tee. "You're hurting." he muttered. "You're breathing hard due to your bruised ribs. I can help you if you'll let me."

"You'd give me a few more?"

The side of Baird's mouth curled. "I promise I won't if you promise not to nearly K-O me. I've learned my lesson with you: don't let my fists do the talking."

His taut muscles seemed to relax as he grunted in an attempt for a small laugh. It made Baird's smile grow more.

He didn't honestly know what he was doing. He'd been incredibly betrayed by this man but all of his feelings seemed to fall away when they were alone together. It was possibly because both could be themselves without having to fear being judged by others and Baird couldn't do it with anyone else.

_Maybe...maybe we weren't meant to be after all..._Baird thought sadly. _We were both fine before. Being in love is amazing...but I can't stand the pain that comes with it...I'm still not ready...and what he's done..._

He searched Marcus' eyes and wondered if the man had ever felt the same. All of his feelings and impulsive actions came from the man before him...but was it worth it? An added piece of irrationality—known as love—to his paranoia that already existed within him? He felt like a person suffering from manic-depressive disorder: he seemed to have more depressed states with Marcus than the manic episodes.

Marcus raised his arms, wincing a bit, allowing Baird to slip the wife-beater from him. The blond blushed heavily when his eyes fell on the hairy torso and the trail that led to his juicy cock. Tossing the shirt atop the bed, he dipped his fingers into the cream, holding Marcus' right wrist to properly expose his ribs.

"This is going to hurt when I touch it." He mumbled dumbly, trying to ignore the fact that his trousers were tightening more.

Marcus' body trembled slightly as Baird tentatively touched his ribs. Marcus' nostrils opened and his jaw was hard as he let Baird spread the cold cream around his side, eyes never leaving his face. Marcus gasped as he pulled his arm away from Baird when he found a particularly painful area.

"What is it?" His voice was low and not a little pissed off.

"Muscle relaxant." Baird murmured, grabbing his hand once more so that their fingers could interlace and bringing his body a bit closer to his. "You need it. I'll get some ice for it as well. Just squeeze on my hand when it hurts since I have to finish this."

"You sure you can take it?"

"I've survived one of your infamous punches, have I?" He gleamed. That made Marcus make another grunting laugh which immediately turned to a look of pain. "Sorry. I forgot that I can't make you laugh."

Baird continued to apply the salve on Marcus in silence, feeling pressure on his hand every so often. He was so absorbed that he didn't notice that Marcus' lips were near his ear. When his voice filled them, he violently shivered. Embarrassed, he turned to the other man.

"What?" He tried to sound annoyed, but his bodily response to Marcus' voice gave away how he truly felt. "Can't you sit still while I finish?"

"Says the one who fidgets every time he's nervous."

"I don't fidget." He snorted.

"No. You just talk and move constantly."

"I thought talking while having bruised ribs _hurt_? _Why_ are you talking?"

"To make you nervous."

"Shut up." he quipped, although his heart skipped a beat. Talking through pain was _not_ easy. And for the man to do it for him..._Don't fall again, Damon..._he thought.

Quiet words were spoken from the larger older man that Baird didn't hear. He was paying attention to Marcus' deep sultry voice, unwillingly trembling because of it.

"What did you say?" He whispered softly, having finished applying the salve and setting it aside. He had lowered their arms, but he was intensely aware that Marcus hadn't pulled his hand away. It brought a sense of relief and dread to him.

It was quite obvious that the man cared for him. It was apparent by his actions: destroying Baird's room, his malicious yet gentle words, the fact that he hadn't moved from Baird's grasp. As unusual and complicated as it was, he knew these were all acts of love. So...Baird had been wrong then. Marcus _did_ care...right?

But these actions also showed an impulsive nature that Marcus hadn't ever had. The man had a tight reign of his emotions. It seemed to only break whenever something involved Baird, which didn't make for a healthy relationship. So Baird could be bringing out the bad within Marcus when loved ones bring out the good.

"I said I was sorry...for hitting you." The vulnerable Marcus was showing,_ even with_ the skull cap. His eyes reflected all that Baird was feeling. Even the love...So why was this man marrying a woman to spite him? Because of some false accusations that he'd learned? Why didn't Marcus tell him sooner?!

"But not for destroying my room?" His eyes teased with him and Marcus turned away in a show of embarrassment.

"That too. I'll help you clean up—"

"I wanted a bigger room anyway." He responded, shaking his head. Then continued. "I shouldn't have hit _you_. Especially in front of Cole..and in public. It was such a stupid thing to do..."

"Yeah. It was-"

"Hey!"

"-but I understand why you did." He finished, a small smile on his face as he stared down into Baird's face.

Baird snorted as rose to sit on Marcus' left side, leaning against him. "You should, you asshole. No one ever makes Damon S. Baird feel like an idiot." He responded in an arrogant fashion, although his voice was endearing.

It was amazing how a few words could change the atmosphere of a room. The air had been heavy with tension and unspoken words, but now it felt that it was laced with amorous intent. Baird basked in it as he took in Marcus' sweat through his nose and the feeling of his skin on his.

"What shit did I do to you, Baird?"

Baird focused once more on Marcus, still clenching the other man's hand. He didn't want to concentrate on serious issues while his cock was begging to be released from it's cage. Marcus' scent was slowly making him lose his edge. "What?" he whispered.

"You said you felt the way you did because of the shit that I did to you."

"You mean besides tearing up my room in a rage of emotion?"

"I already apologized for that. Damn, are you going to hold it against me now?"

"Maybe." He half-grinned as he made a show of letting his eyes fall to the mattress and the papers on it. "And you mean besides reading my mail?"

"It's _my _mail." Marcus corrected him.

Baird picked up one of the letters, skimming through it before emitting a small laugh. "Yeah. You're right. These are the letters I wrote to you and didn't send."

He watched Marcus massage his jaw, eyes narrowed at him. "So you _didn't_ send me any letters?"

"No. I did." Baird shook the paper at him. "_You_ didn't send me any letters though. So after Gale, I stopped sending them. You just found them." He turned his attention to it again. "I was so angry. I thought that you were leaving me for Anya." Tossing the letter on the mattress, he turned away from Marcus, depressing feelings threatening to take hold of him again. "And I was right..."

All was quiet. The only sound Baird could hear was the thundering in his chest. He brought a hand to it, trying to calm it. And to somehow keep the agony filling it from striking him dead.

"You were wrong." His voice...something was off about his voice. Baird turned to him to see Marcus avoiding his eyes once more.

Baird sat a bit closer to him, waiting for him to speak. When he didn't, he nudged, "Am I? It makes sense to me. You don't send letters. And then I go to the mainland to find that you're getting married. I mean, did you _try_ to tell me?"

"I sent you letters, Baird." Marcus said, irritated. "What's fucking crazy is that I sent you letters during Gale and I _stopped_ after receiving this." He bent to pick up an envelope and Baird's hand shot out to stop him, placing a hand on his chest. His eyes relayed the message that the man was hurt and his movements were to be minimal. Marcus watched him for a few moments before silently agreeing, allowing Baird to pick up the letter instead.

Baird's small smile grew as he held the letter in his hand, not having looked at it. Marcus had sent him letters and there was no reason for the man to lie. He was sickeningly honest, almost to a fault. "Cole said that he saw you writing letters."

Marcus nodded. "I did. Until I found that one. Then...it didn't make sense for me to keep writing." Sighing, he muttered, "Is that all the shit I've done to you?"

Baird shook his head affirmatively. "The letters and your engagement to Anya, yeah. It killed me when I heard..."

He stared at the neat stencil that read _Corporal Baird_. He realized that the handwriting looked familiar but he couldn't place it. "I don't get it." he muttered. "We _both_ sent letters to each other but they never arrived." He looked on the back of it to see if there was any other kind of markings. When he saw none, he turned to look at Marcus who was staring at him perusing over the letter. "When did you get this?"

"I don't know." He answered quietly. "It could have been when the post office was backed up during Bloom. It _had_ to have been because I haven't received any letter from you since then."

"But _why_ was it mixed up in your mail if it was for _me_? Someone _obviously_ wanted you to get it."

An eyebrow of Marcus' slightly raised. "What do you mean?"

"Think about it, Marcus." Baird turned his body towards him, maintaining eye contact. "I live in Azura. I've been here for months at a time and I rarely go to the Mainland. Why would someone send a letter to _me_ from Azura through the post? And even if it _was_ from the Mainland, why would someone mix it up in _your _incoming mail? It was _meant_ to get to you. Someone planted it."

The heaviness of his heart lifted a little as he watched Marcus nod. "And this counts as reading _my _mail." He winked.

"It was meant to get to me right?"

"Won't you let me win a simple argument? You're just like a woman."

"It'd be too easy for you. Don't you like challenges?"

"Shut up." He murmured lightly, tossing the letter on the floor.

"You're not going to read it?" Marcus inquired as Baird moved his head from side to side.

"It doesn't matter." He mimicked Marcus' earlier words. Licking his lips nervously, he continued. "You can tell me what it says."

Marcus cast his eyes onto the carpet, his demeanor flushing red. Baird could see that he was getting upset and hesitated for only a moment before he tenderly turned his face towards him, forcing him to make eye contact. Marcus' eyes told him that the man _didn't_ want to say what he was going to say...but it was necessary for Baird to hear him say it.

"Marcus." He began in a voice to show the man that he could divulge anything to him in confidence, to tell him that he had been his lover who had held him countless times. "I would never lie to you. I may be arrogant. And I may be a genius. But I'm _not_ a liar."

A huff of air came from Marcus and Baird could tell he was amused. His eyes were on the carpet again, his free elbow on his knees. He pressed on, trying to get the man to speak to him.

"If it has anything to do with what you said about...about me being with someone else...Marcus it's a fucking lie." Baird watched him straighten up, turning his head an inch Baird's way to indicate that he was listening. "I haven't _ever_ slept with any man but you."

The words came rushing out, per usual when Baird was anxious. But these words were filled with brutal honesty and affection and he hoped that the emotions would be conveyed to Marcus. As much as he wasn't a sappy lover, he _knew_ that holding in his feelings from Marcus wouldn't work to his benefit.

He had to be honest.

"I won't sleep with another man. I have no desire to. You're the only one I want. No other man could ever hope to satisfy me.

And...it's odd. I've lost all desire to be with women. It scares me really, but I'm okay with it. I have no idea what you did—well, I do. I mean, I fell in love with you—but I wouldn't ever change it. Nothing will make me change the way I feel about you or even _want_ to. Every time I wish I didn't feel this way, you do something to pull me back in. I can't get away from you...and I've accepted that I don't really want to."

He watched Marcus' eyes close as he spoke, letting him take the words in and digest them. He hadn't known that he was holding his breath until he heard Marcus finally speak.

"I've been told that you've been seen with someone."

_And by someone he means..._Baird shook his head. The only person that Marcus knew on the island was Anya. It was obvious that _she _told him something. He chanced a glance at the letter, wondering if _she_ had written it. Then immediately wrote it off: her handwriting was neat, but it wasn't hers.

"_Seen_?" He repeated the word. "The only person I've been _seen_ with is the rook I've been teaching about engineering. Hoffman forced him on me so I couldn't exactly say no. And I'm sure you've recognized that he's a bottom if he _was_ gay."

"Doesn't mean that you couldn't top him." He retorted grudgingly.

He fervently shook his head once more. "The only one that I would _top, _Marcus, is _you_." His breath caught in his throat as he watched Marcus' eyes widen as his head slowly turned to him. "I mean, it's not—I haven't _thought_ about—you're going to be the only guy that I'm going to _ever_ sleep with so it's logical that the only person who I would top would be you." Baird finally stammered out. "_If_ I was going to top someone that is."

He continued on in a hurry, not willing to let Marcus dwell on the subject any longer. "When did you find out that you were getting married?"

"Hmph." Marcus grunted. It was obvious that he was mulling over Baird's words. "Last month, when you arrived at New Jacinto."

Baird furrowed his brow, more burdens being lifted off of him. That meant Marcus _didn't_ know ahead of time that he was going to marry Anya. That bit of news was satisfying._  
_

Nothing was making sense to him currently though. Marcus had found out about his marriage the same day that Baird had found out about the Breeding Program. Marcus had stopped writing him letters around the same time that Baird had done so. Baird thought Marcus was ignoring him and vice versa. Marcus had received a planted letter about Baird's supposed infidelity. Those could be coincidences, but there were _too_ many in the scenario to be separate events. They were all connected, he knew.

"That's the day I found out that Hoffman ordered me to join the Breeding Program." He whispered, thinking hard.

"Ordered?" Marcus looked at him skeptically.

"Yeah." Baird nodded. "Marcus, I didn't even _want_ to do it. I felt like I was cheating on you _for_ doing it. I _tried _to get out of it."

"I remember." Marcus stated, nodding his head. "You seemed pretty pissed that day."

"I _was_." Baird was beginning to get excited. Perhaps...perhaps there was a chance to save their relationship after all. If Marcus was innocent of everything... "I didn't know how to get out of it without compromising you. So I _had_ to go through with it. I didn't know how I would. Then I thought about you..."

His voice trailed off as Marcus searched his eyes. "What about me?" he murmured.

Baird held Marcus' hand tighter. "I thought...about how you do your duty. How you perform actions and assignments for the COG when it hurts others or even yourself. So with that in mind, I was able to give a sample." He could see Marcus' jaw tense. "When I left that office that day though, Marcus...I felt like shit. I felt like the worst possible human being. I didn't feel like I did my duty. I just felt like I betrayed you. And I still do."

A small silence followed his words as he searched Marcus' eyes with earnest. "I understand." His deep voice uttered the words so softly that Baird had to read his lips. "But you didn't betray me , Baird."

He sighed. "That's good to hear." He waited a beat before he asked, "Did Hoffman order the two of you to get married?"

Marcus nodded. "After you stormed out, he told us. He said that he was the new Chairman and a few rules would be restructured. He still abides by the Officer-Infantrymen fraternizing code, but he knew the two of us were together since _before_ she was made an Officer. So he made us an exception."

"And that night-"

"-I was in your room to tell you what happened." He finished. "But then you said what you said...and it made me realize that what the letter said _must_ be true. Otherwise, why would you be so hostile towards me?" Making sure that Baird's gaze was on him, he continued. "We hadn't seen each other for months, I receive no letters except that single one, and you acted the way you did?"

"I only _acted_ liked that because I thought you didn't write me, Marcus." He defended.

"Baird.." His voice was loving.

"And I thought that maybe you were going back to Anya. I didn't want to deal with her again."

"Baird." His tone was the same, just a bit more firm.

"That night was the time that I wanted to tell you about the Breeding Program, I swear. I just had to figure out how because so many things were happening at once-"

"Damon." The sound of his name made him stop ranting as Marcus pressed his forehead against his. "I know this now." He said smoothly. "I didn't then."

"I-I knew that." He flustered. "I just wanted to make absolutely sure that you knew...that I really wanted to be with you, Marcus. And still do."

"I know." He repeated, pressing his lips against Baird for a few moments. The blond moaned gingerly as he opened his mouth, allowing Marcus to plunge his tongue into it. He shifted in his pants as he felt the rough bristles of Marcus' beard scratching him and heard the low grumbling in his throat that let Baird know he becoming aroused. He could taste a bit of blood as they shared their deep kiss and it excited him to think that it belonged to _both._

As long as it was Marcus, he realized that he didn't mind. The fact that they were sharing something as personal as blood made their shared bond much more intimate.**  
**  
"And I want you to know that I tried to get out of it, Baird." Marcus panted as they tore away from their passionate kiss. "I tried to tell him that I would like to do things at my own pace, with no interference. I tried to find a way that wouldn't compromise you...but I couldn't. He told us that until we decided that we were going to go ahead and get together, we were off duty Gears."

"So he's _forcing_ you?" Baird seethed. "What's his angle to do this? He gains nothing from it." Although he was angry at Hoffman for forcing the two of them to do things they didn't _want_ to, he was a bit hurt at the fact that Marcus wanted to do things at _his own pace__. _Had he done something similar to Baird?

"He thinks he's helping us." Marcus explained. "He thinks we're wasting time by _not_ doing it."

"Sounds similar to Sam's dad." he sighed. "I remember hearing that he asked him to go ahead and get married to Sam's mom."

"Yeah. A bit." he whispered. "But I promise, Damon, I wouldn't ever do anything to hurt you on purpose."

"You're not telling me this so that you can get in my pants are you?"

"It doesn't take much to have you take them off." He groaned, pulling at the straps of Baird's shirt.

A smirk tugged at his lips as Baird tenderly placed a hand on Marcus' cheek. He let his thumb trail the scar from his upper lip, along his pronounced cheek-bone, and to where it ended: under his eye. He heard the sharp intake of breath as he licked the crusted blood from Marcus' swollen lip.

The simple act seemed to stir something deep within Marcus. Growling, he encircled his arms around Baird and pulled him towards him, ignoring his pain.

Baird allowed Marcus to crush his lips against his as he straddled his hips, throwing his arms around his shoulders.

"Wait." He pulled away, but not much since Marcus had a tight grasp on his hips. "Your ribs—"

"I'm in much more pain somewhere else, Baird." He groaned. "And so are you. How long have you had your hard-on?"

His already pink cheeks darkened as Marcus tugged at his shirt. He raised his arms, allowing him to slip it off and toss it. "But I don't want to hurt you, Marcus." he gasped as Marcus began to lick his nipples, working to loosen his belt. He placed a hand on either shoulder of his. "You're going to be restricted-"

"That's why you're on top, right?" He questioned, unbuttoning Baird's trousers and lowering his zipper as Baird hurriedly kicked off his boots.

There was no way to discourage this man. Sex was _going_ to happen, whether Baird wanted to or not. And since it had been a while since the Sergeant touched him and all faults were dropped against him, Baird _really_ wanted to.

He brought his hands to Marcus' belt, loosening it quickly as Marcus pulled his pants down past his ass. "I'm on top?" he asked, locking lips with the man again. Marcus gestured with his head in approval as Baird freed his thick cock from it's constraints. "Then lie down." He whispered, gently taking his tongue between his teeth. "I'm in charge."

A glimmer was in Marcus' eyes as he silently obeyed, easing himself onto the mattress. "Yes, Lieutenant."

Baird's eyes grew, a bit startled at hearing his old rank. He had forgotten that he had told Marcus about his title and recognized that the gray-whiskered beast was teasing him. This man had _certainly_ changed during his time with and away from Baird. But a submissive Marcus? He rather enjoyed it.

"I think I should hurt you more often." He whispered maliciously, throwing a leg over Marcus head. "You're sexy like this."

He groaned as he felt Marcus slap his ass. Hard. "No more, Damon." He warned from under him, pulling down the fatigues enough so Baird could kick them off. "I'm tired of kicking your ass and messing up your pretty face."

Baird laughed as he did the same to Marcus, pushing his pants down as the older man nudged his boots off. Marcus slightly lifted himself so Baird to help him, swallowing his whole cock as he did.

"_Mmm..._"

His face was glowing and he was glad Marcus couldn't see it. He was in heaven. He immediately took in the head of Marcus' cock, swirling his tongue around it and flicking the tip of his tongue along the slit.

Marcus enjoyed it, he knew, since he heard a pleasurable curse erupt from mouth, even if it was full of his cock. As Baird slid his tongue along Marcus' dick, savoring the fleshy taste of the man, he could feel Marcus slowly pushing his hip upwards for Baird to take him in. _All_ in. He happily obliged as he swallowed Marcus' cock to the hilt. Doing it a few more times led to Baird's cock falling out of Marcus' mouth and a seductive growl coming from beneath him.

Baird slapped his cock against his tongue then said "No one told you to stop sucking, Sergeant."

"Keep shaking your ass in my face and there won't be any time for foreplay."

He turned to look behind him as Marcus was blowing him, stroking him with one hand, squeezing his ass in the other. He sighed faintly as he began to leisurely thrust into him, stroking the massive cock in his hand.

Baird couldn't explain it: he loved how Marcus bobbed his head to entertain his cock. With every thrust downwards, his head greeted it while his moist large tongue wet it lovingly, eyes closed, his body a fond pink flush. It was amazing to witness such a normally detached, emotionless man like Marcus become an amorous and tender lover because of him. Baird wondered if he looked half as beautiful to Marcus when he went down on him. He secretly wished he did.

Still moving himself in and out of Marcus' mouth, Baird focused on the cock before him. He began to ravish his tongue along it, enjoying the taste of the hot skin being pushed into his mouth roughly. It tasted sweaty and that turned him on more. The fact that his pre-cum was currently leaking into Marcus' mouth made it apparent. He didn't even try to hold it in: he wanted it inside of Marcus' mouth. He wanted the man to taste it and swallow like he always did. Baird loved it.

Putting his hands on Marcus' thighs and applying pressure to tell him to keep from moving, Baird lovingly deep-throated his man until he could taste Marcus' own glob of pre-cum. He could tell that Marcus was trying to hold it back by his heavy grunts and the slight spasms of his cock. But he was going to get what he wanted...and it came in a plentiful spurt of sweetness.

Baird simpered as he lathered the cock with some of the cum before allowing it to pop out of his mouth. He gently jerked Marcus off as he dove beneath the cock to suckle the balls. They were sweat covered, tasting salty while smelling musky. The scent was so manly, so husky, so _him_.

The anticipation built within him to hurry and taste his cock. He wanted to _badly—_he was aching to taste the essence of the man beneath him _inside_ of him. But he forced himself to be patient. He needed to prepare him: he certainly didn't want a repeat of what had happened last time.

When he was sure he had licked every sweat molecule from his balls, he dragged the soft underside of his tongue along the shaft and around the head. He then engulfed the cock completely once more, moaning in delight as he sucked on it. He felt Marcus' pre-cum spill into his mouth, and he used it to help lather his cock.

Gently pulling on Marcus' balls and stroking the cock that he was thoroughly enjoying, Baird almost didn't feel Marcus spreading his cheeks. He lowered himself so that it would be easier for Marcus to access his ass.

He was in a complete blissful daze as he felt Marcus begin to wet his hole delicately, dragging his tongue across his entrance. Whenever he did it, he couldn't focus on what he had been doing. He felt Marcus rub his slit, getting some of his pre-cum on his finger and he next felt the finger circling around his ring. Then Marcus dove in face first once more, making love to his hole.

Baird moaned in contentment, trying to return to blowing his lover, moving his ass back and forth across Marcus' face. He heard the pleased grunts coming from his lover as he moved, begging him for more. He rubbed Marcus' cock harder, reaching beneath him to grab hold of his own. All the while Marcus was spreading his hole, furiously licking the tender muscles of Baird's pink ring.

Baird knew that Marcus understood how dangerous it was for him to perform such deeds. The fact that he was making Baird feel complete joy at the risk of himself just reaffirmed his devotion to Baird.

Pulling the cock from his mouth, Baird moved slowly so that he was above Marcus' face. He spread himself wide to reveal his hole covered with blond hairs, looking behind him to invite Marcus to continue.

Marcus let go of his ass, placing a hand on Baird's cock and his own, stroking them at an easy pace. He then kissed his hole and plunged his tongue into the crevice. Baird opened his hole wide enough so that Marcus could force his tongue inside of him, making him cry out in gratification. He watched as Marcus brought the pre-cum from both cocks and began to lube the hole once more. It made him realize that he had his own.

Baird could only take so much anal loving. He was much too close to spilling himself all over Marcus' hand, he noticed, as he scoured the room for the small black bottle. He saw that it was next to the dresser on the floor.

"You're not ready, Baird." His deep voice was laden with lecherous intent as Baird hauled himself off of Marcus to grab the bottle.

"I know." He breathed heavily, picking it up and staring into the broken mirror at Marcus. "Use this."

Marcus moved from the bed, only taking a few steps before plucking the bottle from Baird's hand. Baird watched him give a quick once-over the bottle then gaze at him. "Where'd you get this?"

"I made it." He said abashed. "It's home based lube. If you don't want to use it-" He began to shake his head but stilled as he watched Marcus coat an index finger with it. Realizing what he was going to do, he bent over the dresser, staring at the man's reflection in the mirror. He tried hard not to quiver as he felt a wet finger being inserted inside of him. He casually pushed himself against the finger and even more so when Marcus inserted another.

"It's good." He murmured as Baird took the lube from him, rubbing some on Marcus' cock. "How'd you test it?"

Baird poured some of the lube over himself and then replaced the cap. He set it to his side and began to coat himself. "On myself." he whispered. "No. I didn't stick anything up my ass."

"Saves us a lot of trouble, huh?"

"Not if I want you to eat me out." He grinned sheepishly in the mirror. It slowly turned into a lustful look as he felt Marcus' cock slide along the crack of his ass and watched the older man toss his skull cap aside. "I thought you said I was on top." he muttered. "That I was in control."

Marcus' lips trailed along his neck, gently kissing and biting him until he reached the cusp of his ear. Taking it between his teeth, he growled, "I can't hold out forever, Damon."

Baird tenderly moaned in response, reaching behind him to grab Marcus' cock. He moved his hand along it, making sure it was properly lubed, and then tentatively brought it between his cheeks, widening his legs as Marcus did the same. He felt the head poking at his pink ring, eagerly waiting the invitation. He inhaled deeply, relaxing his lower body as the head of Marcus' cock began to spread his ring. He clenched his teeth together, forcing his muscles to _not_ clasp around the known invader burrowing into him. As the head slipped in, he allowed himself to breathe out slowly. The shaft went inside of Baird much easier than it had before. He attributed it to the fact that they weren't using saliva.

It didn't take long for Baird to adjust to Marcus' cock as he slowly stroked his own. He felt Marcus' hands slide along his legs and up his side, his cock kissing his anal walls. Throwing a look over his shoulder, he caught Marcus' eye. He didn't look away from him as Baird started to move.

Baird's eyes fluttered close as he slowly began to push himself against Marcus. His feet firmly planted on the ground with Marcus holding onto his hips, Baird slid himself along Marcus' shaft. He knew that his easy pace was agonizing to his lover, who applied a bit of pressure to Baird's thighs in a non-vocal attempt to tell him to go faster.

But Baird wanted to make this night last. He wanted to sensually fuck Marcus.

He heard the soft moans coming from him as he pushed himself against Marcus a bit faster. He could feel the man desperately wanting to move against him, but wanting to allow Baird to have his small bit of freedom when it came to sexual escapades. Baird rested his forearm on the dresser, taking care to wipe away any nearby glass while jerking himself off. Baird spread his legs a bit wider, eyes widening at the fact that the older man's cock was now going deeper into him.

Baird made the mistake of looking back at Marcus, allowing the man to see his erotic face, his craving for physical contact, and his appetite for his cock inside of his ass. He recognized the sudden flicker in his eyes: the one that told Baird that Marcus had given every last bit of his strict self-discipline and rigid constraints of what he considered to be uncouth over to the hidden animalistic instincts and basic desires that resided within him. Placing a hand on each of Baird's shoulder and clamping down, Marcus gave a hard thrust into Baird as the younger man had pushed against him.

It made Baird cry out in pleasure.

"Wait!..._ugh_...You're...hurt..._shit..._"

"I'm _fine_, Baird."

"You..._ah_...you're sure..._uhn.._?"

"_Yes_!" He hissed.

"..._Mmm..._then fuck me...harder!" At that, Marcus forced himself even deeper into Baird.

Both of them moved as if they were in a single fluid motion, their movements synchronized. Marcus was using Baird's shoulders for leverage, driving his cock deep into him with every thrust, balls slapping against Baird's ass. Baird was moving against him, holding onto his lover's hamstrings as he bit his lower lip, nails scratching into the dresser.

Delicate brushes of Marcus' lips coated Baird's spine, something unorthodox about his beau that had always charmed him. He was always pleasantly surprised when the rough and rugged Marcus performed such amorous and tender actions. With Marcus' chest against his back, his chest hair caressing him smoothly as moved against him, Baird could hear the quiet groans Marcus emitted. He brought a hand to Marcus' hair, gently pulling it as Marcus began to tease his nipples.

A faint purr escaped his throat and Baird could feel the instant change that occurred within the Sergeant. His body tightened, his thrusts became stronger, and his breaths were now quick and raspy. It was obvious that Marcus loved it when Baird was completely submissive towards him.

His teeth nipped at Baird's invulnerable lips, forcing him to part them so the older man could shove his warm tongue hard into him. Baird could barely breathe but he was in a euphoric state. He let go of Marcus's hair and brought his arm around Marcus' neck as both of them slowly rose into a standing position. Marcus stopped teasing Baird's nipples. He reached between Baird's legs to stroke his cock as he kept the other running through Baird's hair. Neither of them broke their momentum or the intense tongue-lashing they both shared.

Marcus growled in the back of his throat as Baird pulled away to catch his breath, resting his head on his Sergeant's shoulder, gritting his teeth against the constant friction of Marcus' dick inside of him. He hadn't been allowed to fully regain control of his breathing before Marcus hoisted him onto the dresser with a loud grunt, his cock still inside of him.

"Fuck, Marcus!" Baird cried, giving him a wide-eyed stare, his knees a bit sore. He had, fortunately, cleared the glass from the dresser before hand. But he hadn't ever expected to be picked up during sex. It made his heart race and his breath catch as he watched the the older man's wild eyes on him.

"Don't mind if I do." He bent over to close his mouth over Baird's again before nearly pulling his cock completely out and ramming it into Baird's ass. He jolted, throwing his arms against the wall to keep himself steady. He was unable to move otherwise since Marcus had a sturdy hand on him and the other holding his face tight so that their tongues could dance a steamy tango.

The blond moaned his minor objection into the other man's mouth, but it was drowned out by Marcus' lustful moans. Placing a hand over Marcus' on his thigh, Baird let the man fuck him like they both wanted him to: fully immersing his cock into him with every push, keeping to the fast pace he had set. The feeling of his delicate ring opening and closing with something intensely gratifying inside of him made him ache for more. He purposely clenched his ass whenever Marcus was in him because he knew that he loved it. It was all over his perspiring rosy face and his adoring eyes. Baird showed him the same affection as he rested his head on his shoulder.

_This_ was what all of the quarrels, misunderstandings, and hard-ships with Marcus was worth. The brief periods of time that both had to genuinely communicate their innermost thoughts and desires through the coupling of their carnal forms and to strip the daily masks that both wore to truly express through words how they felt told Baird that he didn't want to suffer any burdens for anyone else.

Only Marcus would do for the rest of his life.

He felt Marcus quickly pull out, panting hard in his ear. "Let's move to bed." His voice was low and dangerous.

Baird could only look with a fixed stare at his infatuate. His eyes were savage, warning Baird that if he didn't comply with his wishes-or demands-his asshole would live to regret it. His scar seemed to add fuel to his eyes, breathing new life to Marcus' already aggressive features. His hair was tousled and damp with sweat as was, he was sure, every hair on his body including the untamed bush above his cock. Damn...this man was gorgeous...

"I thought _I_ was making the decisions..." He whimpered.

"It's either I finish you here or where you're more comfortable, Damon." Marcus continued, his voice making it clear that he was fine with it either way. "It's your choice."

Baird didn't need any further explanation. His gaze never leaving him, Baird gradually got off of the dresser, knees a bit bruised.

He allowed Marcus to lead him to the bed, holding him close from behind. As the larger man lowered their bodies upon it, Baird made sure to keep his legs wide and rested himself on his knees.  
Marcus didn't waste time with aligning his cock with Baird's ass and shoving it in. He gasped as Marcus settled himself on his knuckles, pressing them into the mattress to help him keep balance as he glided his thick and pulsating cock in and out of Baird. Everything about what he saw mesmerized him.

His oiled cock then carried out the brutal onslaught of Baird at an unyielding pace. The COG tag he wore touched Baird whenever he lowered his cock into him as Baird gripped the mattress, Baird's name hoarsely whispered whenever Baird gave a satisfying scream, their burning skins constantly massaging against one another -he never wanted it to end.

He felt Marcus' full weight bearing down on him as he licked and bit the flesh of Baird's neck. Baird was made to lie down on his stomach, moving in tandem with the body above him. "_Fuck_, Marcus..." Baird let out a groan, feeling his insides clench around his cock, trying to force him to orgasm.

Marcus' fingers interlaced with Baird's as he growled. "Just a little more." He was trying to avoid hitting Baird's bundle of nerves, but it was too late.

"But..." It was a gasping breath as he curled his toes and gritted his teeth. Marcus' cock had just grazed his prostate. He made sure that Marcus saw his face: an intense mixture of pleasure and love.

"_Ah! Baird!_" Marcus forced him onto his knees, deliberately focusing his rod in order to stimulate the nerves, feeling Baird squirming beneath him._ "Hold on! Just fucking hold on!_"

"_I can't!_" He cried as he felt himself lose control, violently convulsing as his cock spewed an eruption of cum beneath him.

It was then that Marcus threw his head back and let out a fierce roar, before he placed his head in the crook of Baird's shoulder. He drilled him mercilessly as he rode out his orgasm, streams of hot sticky essence flooding into Baird with every drive of his cock into him.

Baird collapsed onto the bed exhausted, grunting softly as Marcus did the same on top of him. His eyes fluttered as the cum spilled a bit from him, running down his leg. He was too tired to clamp his hole shut to keep any more from escaping, but he was able to lift his head to kiss his tired Sergeant.

He mumbled incoherently and Baird smirked before whispering, "I love you too."

* * *

They made love a few more times after that, each session more sensual and loving than the last. They were finally able to rest as the sky was lighting up. It was about that time when Marcus pulled out of their close embrace to search for his clothes.

Baird silently watched him. Every second that dawn crept closer renewed a bit of Marcus' hard-ass stoicism: the facade of the Sergeant. He now understood that it was more for Marcus than other people that Marcus faced Sera with a nearly impenetrable shell. If Marcus was to be himself, his _true_ self like he was with Baird, he would be utterly destroyed by the cruel, heartless, and inhumane world.

The man cared _alot_ about everything and everyone.

He sighed heavily as he sat up. He was never good at parting ways with Marcus. The man would sometimes be gone when he woke which would give him some relief. He didn't have to force banter that both would have liked to avoid.

Baird cocked an eyebrow as he heard Marcus speak first without seeing him. "I thought you'd still be asleep."

A grin pulled at the edges of his lips. "Me too. But I stink. And so do you. You want to shower?" From where Baird was lying, he could only see Marcus' hard and muscled back. As the man cast a deep blue eye over his shoulder, Baird couldn't make out his expression. His voice gave it away.

"I can't. We're due at the beach in less than thirty minutes."

A small silence ensued in which Baird found it odd that although the two of them had talked the night before-as well as fought and had spectacular sex-_nothing_ had truly been resolved. There was still a huge glaring problem that they had to face: Marcus was still going to marry Anya.

He found that his fingers had encircled the COG tag on his neck like they usually did when he wanted to gather courage. Since the tag was Marcus', it seemed to be imbued with the man's fearless determination of doing what he felt was right. That strength seeped into Baird whenever he touched it. He thoughtfully wondered if something similar happened to Marcus...or if Baird was just drunk on love.

As he looked down at it, he mumbled aloud. "What about this?"

Baird looked out of the corner of his eyes to see Marcus watching him fiddle with his COG tag. He then raised both eyebrows as the man closed his eyes and breathed hard through his nose. "Keep it."

The words should have made him elated, but there was something within that made Baird feel a deep sense of dread. As he watched Marcus turn to pick up a piece of clothing on the floor, Baird finally blurted out what he wanted to know.

"Are you _still_ going to marry Anya?"

Marcus' body seemed to tense immediately, his muscles becoming stiff, his back straightening. Baird knew the man well enough to imagine his face: his jaw set, eyes closed in deep concentration, nostrils flared, scar seeming to come to life on its own. But Baird _needed_ to know. With everything that had happened the night before, he was now _more_ confused than ever.

"Is this...is this you doing your duty like I did mine for Hoffman?"

He said nothing for a few moments before he began to speak in a soft tone. "Damon, I told Anya that it was. And...it _is_. But it has nothing to do with her. It has more to do with you."

Baird sharply inhaled, his thoughts a jumbled mess. What was he talking about? "What does you marrying Anya have to do with me?" He said in a nearly emotional tone, crawling over the bed to sit beside him. "You _do_ realize that there is a way for you to get out of marrying her, right?"

Marcus tilted his head a fraction away from Baird, indicating that he was curious and listening. Baird continued. "Marcus, all Anya has to do is say that she _isn't_ in love with you anymore. She knows about us. She _knows_ what you feel. So why would she want to marry someone that _isn't_ in love with her?"

_Unless...unless if she had something to do with all that's happened. _The thought hit him suddenly that it physically made him tense. Anya fit into every single circumstance that had happened to Marcus and him.

She was the one that brought Baird's mail...and the one that told him that she had no longer received it.

She went to the mainland more so than Baird, and could have easily intercepted Baird's mail to Marcus to make it seem like Baird hadn't sent him anything.

And the letter that spoke of Baird's unfaithfulness? _She_ could have planted it.

She _knew _how Marcus felt about Baird and Baird knew that she could have said something to stop the nuptials from happening, but she didn't. It was exactly what she wanted.

Anya had told Baird at Azura that she wasn't going to give Marcus up...but would she go so far as to literally _try_ and destroy their relationship?

_I destroyed theirs..._ he thought and immediately began to feel sick.

"Oh fuck." Baird whispered as Marcus eyed him closely. "What if...what if, Marcus, Anya had something to do with everything that's happened? Between us?"

Baird should have seen his reaction coming. Any words that seemed to cast Anya in a bad light was immediately rejected by him and his cold facial expression said so. "Just because you don't care for her, Baird, doesn't mean that she has anything to do with this."

"Just because you care for her doesn't mean that she's innocent, either!" he countered. "I'm trying to be rational, Marcus, and she's in the middle of every _damn_ thing."

"Do you _know_ this for sure?" Marcus growled fiercely, glaring at him.

"Of course I don't!" Baird scowled, annoyed. "It's all speculation. But who _else_ would have a motive for us being apart? Who else would gain from us breaking up?" He closed his mouth quickly before he spilled any more information. He hadn't told Marcus of what Anya had told him that day, how she wasn't going to give Marcus up.

He didn't tell him because he felt that adding that information currently would make Marcus think he was being paranoid and Baird could understand that. The other reason was a more heartbreaking one: a part of him felt that Marcus would still believe Anya after he told him, still picturing her as this pure lily white goddess that could do no wrong.

"You're basing your accusation off of hunches and guesses, am I right?" Marcus' voice as icy as he coldy stared at Baird. "You're saying she's the cause of everything that's wrong with us?"

"I'm not saying that she's the _cause_." Baird defended. "I just feel that she has _something_ to do with it. It's all too coincidental. She could have tampered with my mail since she has access to it. She could have planted the letter that you got because she goes to the Mainland. She could have picked up _your_ mail from the Mainland and trashed my letters-" Baird froze then, remembering what Marcus had said.

"'Everything that's wrong with us'?" He repeated, his mouth slightly opened. "What-What do you mean 'everything that's wrong with us? What's _wrong_ with us?"

The livid look within Marcus' cerulean blues changed to a forlorn one as he cast his eyes to the floor. "No! You can't _avoid_ me now." Baird seethed, his demeanor distressed. "There's something _wrong_ with us? Is it because society has said that what we do is _unnatural_? I mean, sure it won't help the survival of the species, but don't you think that there are evolutionary nuances that keep the balance within the species to help them survive and that what we're doing is just one of those? Could you _imagine_ everyone having children and the detrimental state the world would be in if we _didn't_ have people who chose not to or couldn't procreate due to their actions or genetic happenstances? And I'm not talking about this fucked up post-apocalyptic shit. I'm talking about twenty, thirty, fourty years ago."

"Are you saying that we have some genetic defect, Baird?" Marcus muttered, staring at him through narrowed eyes. "Something that makes us susceptible to being romantically involved with our own sex?"

"What I'm saying is that this supposedly unacceptable way of life-that should be _no one else's business _by the way-could be an evolutionary tactic that ensures the survival of the human race. It wouldn't necessarily be a _defect_ then, now would it? And it's only a theory. There's no way to know if it's within our genes...and we won't get to know in our life time. But that's not the point!"

He watched Marcus through angry eyes. "Is it because you think it's unnatural that there's something wrong with us? Or is it because we have no fucking clue how many humans exist right now and we should be spreading our seed into women instead of each other to do our duty for humanity? Or is it because of the COG rules that you love to fucking follow so much? Has _all_ of what's happened been a catalyst for you to break things off anyway?!" His temper was showing and it was boiling over. "_Fuck! _I was right! I hate being right sometimes! You were just _using _me!"

"Goddamnit, Baird!" Marcus pushed himself off the bed, standing and glowering down. "It's _not_ unnatural! I don't think _you_ or anyone else should be forced to give up your semen to random fucking people, and I don't give a damn what the COG says about this! I was still with Anya which was against the rules! I went after my father which went against the rules! Fuck, I'm with _you_ and it's against the rules! And you're _wrong! _You're goddamn _wrong_!"

"Then _what the fuck is wrong with us?!_" Baird stood in front of Marcus, shivering with fury, now feeling a bit guilty for donating sperm. No matter what Doc Hayman said, Marcus wouldn't have ever done something he didn't feel was right. "What's so fucking _wrong_ with us that you'll continue to marry Anya?! Because that's the reason you're going to marry her, right?! There's something wrong with us!"

His eyes widened as Marcus grabbed hold of his face. "You could _fucking die_, Baird!" He snarled, breathing heavily. "You could _die._ We _both_ could die. But it's _not_ about me. It's about _you. _You're _not_ going to die because of this!"

Baird let out a shaky sigh. He knew what Marcus was mentioning. What they were doing was treason due to the fact that every sperm and egg counted in these dire times. But it was also because their sexual relations led to a high risk of disease which would be _extremely _detrimental to the COG denizens currently. Even though Baird and Marcus had only one partner-each other-there was no true knowledge of how many other men had. This lack of knowledge would ultimately breed fear and to stifle that fear, any persons caught doing such "dangerous" acts were to be put to death. It had been implemented by Richard Prescott after the decimation of the world's cities with the Hammer of Dawn Counter-strike.

Something had had to happen recently in order for Marcus to be worried about it though. There had been no reports of any charges being brought against anyone, as far as he'd heard. "What happened?" He whispered as Marcus let his hands fall from his face, rubbing his eyes. "Did someone get caught?"

He nodded, making sure that his eyes didn't fall on Baird. "I don't know who. Some rook. He was sent to Hoffman and...no one's heard from him since." He sat down on the bed with Baird sitting next to him. "A body was found a few klicks away from Anvil Gate, badly beaten and burned. They found a COG tag on it." Marcus shook his head slightly. "This was only a few days ago, Damon..."

Baird sighed, shaking his head at the sad predicament. "How? I mean..._how_? Why would someone report him?"

Marcus rolled his shoulders, his way of shrugging. "I don't know how he was caught. I know I was told this by Bernie."

Bernie. Baird had a bone to pick with her. But that wasn't the issue. Baird understood Marcus' fear now. It hurt because the man cared and wanted him to be safe. In order for that to happen, they couldn't ever be together again.

"Then why did you...why did you make love to me last night, Marcus?" The lump in his throat was back and he was trying not to sound choked up. "It makes it so much harder..."

"I know." Marcus replied, his voice thick with remorse. "But I couldn't say good-bye without knowing the truth of everything that's happened. And, if you were innocent, without being with you one last time."

"You could have, at least, _told_ me. Shit, I think we're back together and you spring _this_ on me?"

"It's shitty timing, I know." Marcus replied annoyed. "But if we weren't having problems, I would have _definitely_ said something sooner. It wouldn't have changed the fact that I wanted to be with you though.

Baird exhaled slowly, trying not to let his irritation show. "Do you even know if it's the COG's doing?"

"Damon. I'm not going to risk you no matter what." His voice held an air decisiveness. "Some Stranded could have done it, but Hoffman was the last one to see him alive. He committed an act against the rules, one that still holds plenty of bigots, and now he's dead. Hoffman's executed Gerald Altar for trying to steal food for his family. What do you think?"

He shook his head. He didn't want to recognize what he was sure Marcus words were implying. "I think that we've been targeted for death on many occasions. It was mainly by the Locust but there was a time where I was almost executed for disobeying orders. I was _abiding_ by the COG code by saving Omega Two and using the experimental weapon, the Lightmass Missile, in order to do it. Ironically, the Locust saved me."

"Omega Two?" Marcus inquired, his eyes growing a bit.

"Yeah. They were trapped-"

"-in Halvo Bay, near the Museum of Military Glory." Marcus finished seriously. "I know. I was there. I kept calling over the comm for reinforcements. I thought we were done for when none came."

Baird gave a sad smile. "So I saved your ass?" He murmured, a bit cocky.

"Yeah." He nodded. "Just like I saved your ass when Alpha was on the rooftop-"

"-Okay-"

"-and from the Beserker afterwards-"

"-I got it! You could have just said a simple _thank you_, you know!" Baird shoved him hard with his arm, smirking at him. " I saved your ass, you saved mine. Now we're even. Though, Cole and I could have taken that Beserker."

His grin fell away as he ran his fingers through his hair. "What I'm getting at is, we've faced death plenty of times. This will be no different and we'll conquer it."

Marcus shook his head. "I..I can't willingly sacrifice you like that, Damon. _That_ would be using you, asshole. Sacrificing your life."

"You've done it before during missions."

"I wouldn't ever knowingly risk your life or anyone else's, Baird. Stick your paranoid thoughts up your ass."

"It wouldn't feel nearly as good as you sticking something else in." He forced himself not to smile as Marcus gave him a loving exasperated look. Maybe his delusions had been kicked into overdrive about Marcus...but since when had his emotions _ever_ been stable and rational about the man?

His next words were uttered in voice so low that Baird couldn't almost hear it. "I love you too much to do that to you, to use you or anything else. No matter how badly I want to be with you...I can't do it. "

Baird placed a hand on Marcus' neck, gently massaging his tense muscles to ease away the stress. "I love you too, Marcus. Fuck, you know I do. You make me insane." He made sure Marcus held his gaze before he continued. "I know why you feel the way you do. I understand. I _don't_ understand why you still need to marry Anya though. I'd be okay with being apart. I'd suffer like hell, but I'd be fine. But you being with _Anya_? Are you _trying_ to kill me?"

"I don't know if people have noticed how close we are, Damon. But I don't want them to start suspecting and then go after you. This way ensures that all doubt is removed or, at least, most." Baird could see the unspeakable pain on his face. "I don't want to do this, but there's nothing I can do."

"So if she was to say that she wasn't in love with you anymore..."

"It would lead people to suspect that _I_ was the reason. And they'd begin to wonder." Marcus finished. "Your idea wouldn't work."

The feeling of dread in the pit of Baird's stomach had intensified. He felt a stabbing pain in chest, one that wouldn't go away as he tried to slow his breathing. He didn't want to hear the words that he knew were going to be spoken. "So...so this is the end?"

His breath hitched as he saw Marcus' eyes were wet. He looked down at his hands and found them balled into fists. He refused to say what they both knew. The Sergeant couldn't bring himself to say it...

"It...won't be _that _bad, right?" Baird murmured, purposely avoiding Marcus' eyes. If he didn't, Baird would tear up too. "I mean, I've noticed that you've been losing a bit of your self-control when you're around me like I have with you. That would have gotten us caught in the end. You don't do that with Anya..."

Baird heard movement beside him but didn't dare look up for fear of him grabbing hold of Marcus and never letting him go. "Don't try to degrade it, Damon." Marcus whispered. "I wasn't ever in love with Anya. The fact that you could...that you _have_ made me lose control shows just how much I care about you. That's a good thing."

"Well, I know that my sucker-punch didn't help any."

It was Marcus' turn to sigh heavily. "It could have gotten us caught, which is what I was _truly_ angry about...and the real reason why I hit you back." He turned to him. "But it showed me how much you cared too."

"I was trying to make myself see a bright side in all of this, Marcus." He forced a laughed. "I _need_ to see something good about us breaking up. Otherwise I'm going to sulk in private and public as well. _That_ might get us found out."

"When _aren't_ you sulking?" He grunted in a pleasant manner as Baird jabbed him gently with his elbow. "If you wanted to see a bright side, you could realize that we virtually have no real future together. What life is there for two men like us? We can't cohabit. We live miles apart. We're forced to lie to each other in public. We could _die_ for our actions. Is that _any_ life for someone to have?"

"It's a life I've had for five years and I've enjoyed every moment; two of those years we dealt with Locust. So yes, it is. For a taste of true happiness, I think it is." Marcus saw the truth in Baird's eyes and knew he was being honest. When he didn't refute him, Baird continued. "You honestly don't think Anya had anything to do with what's happened? If you truly think so, I'll believe it."

Baird searched Marcus' eyes as he answered, letting out a listless breath. "I think...that you may have a point. But you don't know Anya like I do, Damon. I don't think that she'd sacrifice our relationship for something that's never going to be real. I'm not going to lie-I've suspected her a few times. But whenever I look into her eyes and ask her something about it, I can see she's telling the truth."

The blond engineer nodded then, slightly frowning with his eyes closed. _Some people are expert manipulators though..._ "Okay. I believe you. I trust you. I do still have some reservations, but I think you have much better judgment than me. I tend to suspect everyone." He brandished his head in a negative manner. "It just sucks because she'll be taking your name when _I_ won't-"

"You want to take my name?"

"-she can live openly with you and I can't-"

"That was a given."

"-and she'll be able to have as much sex with you as she wants." Baird opened an eye then, waiting for Marcus' response.

The older man nodded, rubbing his chin. "That's true. I haven't had a woman in a while. I bet she'd give me whatever I asked." Marcus winced as Baird punched him in the arm. He did his slow head turn to see him staring daggers at him and pouting. "We're going to be husband and wife. What else are we going to do?"

Baird bared his teeth and readied his fist for another punch but Marcus caught his wrist, pulling him towards him. "Didn't you say that you weren't going to let your fists do the talking?"

"It's _not_ funny, Marcus." He said quietly, allowing himself to be engulfed within Marcus' arms, resting his cheek on his. "I hate when you joke. You're so serious."

"I know." he said, his lips brushing his ear.

"I don't want you to fuck her."

"I won't."

"I want to be your mistress...Okay, I really don't want to be. But if I have to, I will."

He heard Marcus clear his throat, trying hard not to laugh. "You know I can't do that, Baird." His tone was light.

Baird sighed, pulling away from Marcus enough so that they'd be face to face. "I know. It was worth a shot. You're too morally perfect to be a sleaze." He allowed Marcus to return to picking up his clothes that were near him. "If...If that body hadn't been found...and we cleared the air like we did last night...would you still be with me?"

Marcus pulled on his boxers and fatigues while observing his blond companion. "Without a doubt."

Harsh sunlight washed through the window as Marcus placed his lips on Baird's, an understanding that made Baird miserable. He'd be leaving soon...

"Wouldn't _this_ be considered cheating since we had sex during your engagement?" Baird murmured as Marcus started to put on his clothes, covering his bare and hairless body with the sheets.

"We weren't ever engaged." He muttered, hunting around for his shirt. "Damon, I've already said-"

"I know." He interrupted, lying down on the mattress as Marcus gave up finding his shirt, pulling one over his head that was Baird's. It was similar to his green muscle-tee but it accentuated his muscles more. "There's just...There's not going to ever be anyone else, Marcus. But you."

"That's why I want you to keep my COG tag." Marcus clipped on his ammo belt before leaning over and picking up his guns and his armor. " Because I feel the same way. We may be getting married, but she won't be getting anything from me."

_What _can _she get?_ He wondered. _No one has money. We've all been reduced to the same social class. He isn't in love with her. He won't be having sex with her. She gets nothing from the deal. Does she even know that this is a marriage of convenience for him?_

If she _didn't_ know, it would serve her right in Baird's opinion. She'd been putting things in Marcus' head, at the very least, about his supposed promiscuous ways. But Baird knew Marcus wasn't like that. The bitch knew, even if she didn't deserve to know.

They stared at each other, unable to say anything else. What _could_ they say, except what they _didn't_ want to? Baird didn't agree with Marcus' reasoning: he would have taken his chances with him against the world. Yes, it was risking the older man's life, however Marcus had been involved in quite a few risky endeavors. He wasn't a casualty yet.

But when the man's mind was set, little else would dissuade him.

"No sex, right?" He whispered sadly and watched Marcus nod. "With Anya? Because I know I'm not going to get any."

"No sex. I think it's for the best."

"I don't. But since when did you ever take anything I thought into account?"

"Stop trying to pick a fight, Damon." Marcus growled as he gave Baird another long kiss before standing, biting his bottom lip as he finished. Baird grabbed his shirt to pull him closer and press his lips against his again. Marcus allowed him to and Baird reluctantly let him go. "I need to go."

"What about this mess _you_ made?" Baird whined, gesturing around his room.

"It would have been clean if _someone_ had left my dick alone."

"You _know_ you wanted it."

"I did. I do."

"I know." He said quietly, grabbing the skull cap on the floor and throwing it up to him. "Guess I can't stall you any longer since you're so intent on leaving."

"I'm not. I just have to."

"No need to explain." Baird flashed him a smile, but his heart wasn't in it. "I guess...I'll see you around, Sarge."

Marcus put on the skull cap, completing the look of the tough, demanding, and uncompromising Gear that many people feared and who he loved. Adjusting the guns on his shoulders, he muttered. "I will, Lieutenant."

Baird thought he was tired, but his cock wiggled when he heard the no-shit-taking Sergeant whisper his old title in a provocative voice. It brought the former night to his mind.

Marcus had seen it as well, his face grim but his eyes expressing amusement. Unspoken words filled the air as they both peered into each other's eyes. Fuck did Baird hated parting ways, so he relied on what he had always done.

"What are you waiting for?" It was a slightly sarcastic tone he conveyed as he turned away from him. "Don't you have a plane to catch?"

He heard the door close quietly after a few seconds. It was much easier for them to bid each other adieu if they didn't have to look at the pain in each other's eyes, he realized as he grabbed hold of the COG tag he wore.

Baird sighed, pulling the covers tighter around him. His eyes opened a little when he saw that Marcus' muscle-tee had been underneath them. Reaching out to grab it, he brought up to his nose. Deeply inhaling the man's scent, he fought back tears while trying to swallow the lump in his throat.

This was as close to Marcus as he was ever going to get anymore. And there was nothing he could do about it.

* * *

**So Baird and Marcus found out that they both were innocent in the scheme of things. And Marcus is _still_ choosing to marry Anya because of a death that occurred...And there are _many_ questions left unanswered...**

**1) You can make home-based lube with simple materials around your home. Baird experimented with a few ingredients before he found one suitable for himself. :)**

**2) I don't truly know this, but it makes sense that people whose paranoid thoughts are proven to be true would have an increase of paranoia.**

**3) I suppose some people may wonder about the evolutionary theory about the reason why homosexuality exists. There are people who believe that this is a natural occurrence in evolution to stem over-population, weed out some undesirable traits or lessen them from the human genome (though what traits are up for discussion), and other benefits.**

**Baird (obviously) hasn't had much contact with homosexuals, but he feels that it's an inherent quality that plenty of people have and can _choose_ to submit to it or deny it. If you disagree, that's fine (this has nothing to do with anyone's personal views). I just think that since Baird is a man who praises himself on logical thought, it makes sense for him to try and "explain" homosexuality in theoretical concepts rather than be a bigot (since, I'm sure, there are TONS of people that feel that he'd be bigoted towards such people due to his arrogance and haughty demeanor. Not this Baird, though. Not mine.)**

**4) In the first Gears of War game, Lieutenant Kim's Squad (Delta) was sent to retrieve Alpha Team (Cole and Baird). This is the reference that Marcus makes when he tells Baird that he has saved his life also.**

**5) For those who don't know, Marcus did a cameo appearance in Gears of War Judgment. He was part of Omega 2, the squad that was going to be decimated if Baird and the Kilo Squad hadn't deployed the Lightmass Bomb. In hindsight, if Baird hadn't gone against his orders, Marcus would be dead right now and Sera would have been lost. I doubt that any squad would have been able to do what Delta has done in Gears: they're too bad ass. ;D**

**6) There are simple products that you can make to make home-based lube. I would post a link in particular, but I don't think people truly want to know about it. Baird figured out how to make some himself. I mean, he _is _a genius. ;)**

**7) Baird's a really confused man. I think it should be obvious by his constantly wondering if Marcus loved him or not. The slightest sentence uttered by Marcus would send him into a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions and this all has to do with his natural paranoid state. I just wanted to be clear on that. :)**

**This is the _LONGEST_ chapter I have ever written. There's so much information that couldn't be spread out, a lot of details I wanted to capture, a few things I wanted to add...and it kept growing. So sorry for the length if you really dislike reading a chapter that's close to 20,000 words. :x  
**


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